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A SERIES OF LESSONS 

IN 

RAJA YOGA 



By 

YOGI RAMACHARAKA 

Author o( ' Fourteen Lesions \a Y02! Philosophy and Oriental Occultism ' 
Advanced Course ih Yogi Philosophy, etc."; " Hatha Yoga"; 
Psychic Healiog "; " Science o( Breath." etc< 



,0 

■I u' 



" When the soul sees itself as a Center suryoundea 
by its circumference— when the Sun knows that it is a 
Sun, surrounded by its whirling planets— then is it ready 
for the Wisdom and Power of the Masters." 



THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 

Masonic Temple 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 

1906 






UBHAftYnf CONGRESS 
TwoOoDies Received 

SEP ab 1906 

.Coeynphi Entry ^ 
CLASS /f AAC. No, 

/ J-lS (0(0 3 

i COPY A. 

N i -m-T ' "■ 1 i w i I I . 






Copyrighted, 1905 

BY 
THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 



Copyrighted, 1906 

BY 

THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY 



PUBLISHERS' NOTICE 

The lessons which compose this volume, originally 
aj -geared in the shape of monthly lessons, the first oi 
which was issued in October, 1905, and the twelfth in 
September, 1906. These lessons met with a hearty and 
generous response from the public, and the present vol- 
ume is issued in response to the demand for the lessons 
in a permanent and durable form. There have been no 
changes made in the text. 

The publishers take the liberty to call the attention of 
the reader to the great amount of information condensed 
within the space given to each lesson. Students have 
told us that they have found it necessary to read and 
study each lesson carefully, in order to absorb the varied 
information contained within its pages. They have also 
stated that they have found it advisable to re-read the 
lessons several times, allowing an interval between each 
reading and that at each re-reading they would discover in- 
formation that had escaped them during the course of the 
previous study. This has been repeated to us so often that 
we feel justified in mentioning it, that other readers might 
avail themselves of the same course and plan of study. 

Following his usual custom, the writer of the lessons 
has declined to write a preface for this book, claiming 
that the lessons speak for themselves, and that those for 
whom they are intended will receive the message con- 
tained within them, without any nrefatory talk. 

THE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY. 

September i, 1906. 



INDEX 



Lesson I. 


The"!" - 


Pais 

I 


Lesson IL 


The Ego's Mental Tools 


23 


Lesson III. 


The Expansion of the Self - 


47 


Lesson IV. 


Mental Control - 


73 


Lesson V. 


The Cultivation of Attention 


97 


Lesson VI. 


Cultivation of Perception 


121 


Lesson VII. 


The Unfoldment of Consciousness 


147 


Lesson VIII. 


The Highlands and Lowlands of 






Mind - . - . 


173 


Lesson IX. 


The Mental Planes - 


197 


Lesson X. 


Sub-Consciousing 


223 


Lesson XL 


Sub-Conscious Character Building 


249 


Lesson XII. 


Sub-Conscious Influences 


275 



THE FIRST LESSON. 

The "I." 

In India, the Candidates for Initiation into the 
science of "Raja Yoga/' when they apply to the Yogi 
Masters for instruction, are given a series of lessons 
designed to enlighten them regarding the nature of 
the Real Self, and to instruct them in the secret knowl- 
edge whereby they may develop the consciousness 
and realization of the real "I" within them. They are 
shown how they may cast aside the erroneous or im- 
perfect knowledge regarding their real identity. 

Until the Candidate masters this instruction, or at 
least until the truth becomes fixed in his consciousness, 
further instruction is denied him, for it is held that 
until he has awakened to a conscious realization of his 
Actual Identity, he is not able to understand the 
source of his power, and, moreover, is not able to feel 
within him the power of the Will, which power under- 
lies the entire teachings of "Raja Yoga," 

The Yogi Masters are not satisfied if the Candidate 
forms merely a clear intellectual conception of this 
Actual Identity, but they insist that he must feel the 
truth of the same — must become aware of the Real 
Self — must enter into a consciousness in which the 
realization becomes a part of his everyday self — in 
which the realizing consciousness becomes the prevail- 
ing idea in his mind, around which his entire thoughts 
and actions revolve. 



vi RAJA YOGA. 

To some Candidates, this realization comes like a 
lightning flash the moment the attention is directed to- 
ward it, while in other cases the Candidates find 
it necessary to follow a rigorous course of training 
before they acquire the realization in consciousness. 

The Yogi Masters teach that there are two degrees 
of this awakening consciousness of the Real Self. The 
first, which they call "the Consciousness of the T," is 
the full consciousness of real existence that comes to 
the Candidate, and which causes him to know that he 
is a real entity having a life not depending upon the 
body — life that will go on in spite of the destruction 
of the body — real life, in fact. The second degree, 
which they call "the Consciousness of the 'I AM'," is 
the consciousness of one's identity with the Universal 
Life, and his relationship to, and "in-touchness" with 
all life, expressed and unexpressed. These two de- 
grees of consciousness come in time to all who seek 
"The Path." To some it comes suddenly; to others 
it dawns gradually; to many it comes assisted by the 
exercises and practical work of "Raja Yoga." 

The first lesson of the Yogi Masters to the Can- 
didates, leading up to the first degree, above men- 
tioned, is as follows : That the Supreme Intelligence 
of the Universe — the Absolute — has manifested the 
being that we call Man — the highest manifestation on 
this planet. The Absolute has manifested an infini- 
tude of forms of life in the Universe, including dis- 
tant worlds, suns, planets, etc., many of these forms 
being unknown to us on this planet, and being impos- 



THE "I." I 

sible of conception by the mind of the ordinary man. 
But these lessons have nothing to do with that part 
of the philosophy which deals with these myriad forms 
of life, for our time will be taken up with the unfold- 
ment in the mind of man of his true nature and power. 
Before man attempts to solve the secrets of the Uni- 
verse without, he should master the Universe within — 
the Kingdom of the Self. When he has accomplished 
this, then he may, and should, go forth to gain the 
outer knowledge as a Master demanding its secrets, 
rather than as a slave begging for the crumbs from 
the table of knowledge. The first knowledge for the 
Candidate is the knowledge of the Self. 

Man, the highest manifestation of the Absolute, as 
far as this planet is concerned, is a wonderfully or- 
ganized being — although the average man under- 
stands but little of his real nature. He comprises 
within his physical, mental and spiritual make-up 
both the highest and the lowest, as we have shown in 
our previous lessons (the "Fourteen Lessons" and the 
"Advanced Course"). In his bones he manifests al- 
most in the form of mmeral life, in fact, in his bones, 
body and blood mineral substances actually exist. The 
physical life of the body resembles the life of the 
plant. Many of the physical desires' and emotions are 
akin to those of the lower animals, and in the unde- 
veloped man these desires and emotions predominate 
and overpower the higher nature, which latter is 
scarcely in evidence. Then Man has a set of mental 
characteristics that are his own, and which are not 



2 RAJA YOGA. 

possessed by the lower animals (See "Fourteen Les- 
sons"). And in addition to the mental faculties com- 
mon to all men, or rather, that are in evidence in a 
greater or lesser degree among all men, there are still 
higher faculties latent within Man, v/hich when man- 
ifested and expressed render Man more than ordinary 
Man. The unfoldment of these latent faculties is pos- 
sible to all who have reached the proper stage of de- 
velopment, and the desire and hunger of the student 
for this instruction is caused by the pressure of these 
unfolding latent faculties, crying to be born into con- 
sciousness. Then there is that wonderful thing, the 
Will, which is but faintly understood by those igno- 
rant of the Yogi Philosophy — the Power of the Ego 
— its birthright from the Absolute. 

But while these mental and physical things belong 
to Man, they are not the Man himself. Before the 
Man is able to master, control, and direct the things 
belonging to him — his tools and instruments — he must 
awaken to a realization of Himself. He must be able 
to distinguish between the "I" and the "Not I." And 
this is the first task before the Candidate. 

That which is the Real Self of Man is the Divine 
Spark sent forth from the Sacred Flame. It is the 
Child of the Divine Parent. It is Immortal — Eter- 
nal — Indestructible — Invincible. It possesses within 
itself Power, Wisdom, and Reality. But like the 
infant that contains within itself the sometime Man, 
the mind of Man is unaware of its latent and poten- 
tial qualities, and does not know itself. As it awak- 



THE "I." 3 

ens and unfolds into the knowledge of its real nature, 
it manifests its qualities, and realizes what the Ab- 
solute has given it. When the Real Self begins to 
awaken, it sets aside from itself those things which 
are but appendages to it, but which it, in its half- 
waking state, had regarded as its Self. Setting aside 
first this, and then that, it finally discards all of the 
"Not I," leaving the Real Self free and delivered 
from its bondage to its appendages. Then it returns 
to the discarded appendages, and makes use of them. 

In considering the question: "What is the Real 
Self?" let us first stop to examine what man usually 
means when he says "I." 

The lower animals do not possess this "I" sense. 
They are conscious of the outer world ; of their own 
desires and animal cravings and feelings. But their 
consciousness has not reached the Self-conscious stage. 
They are not able to think of themselves as separate 
entities, and to reflect upon their thoughts. They are 
not possessed of a consciousness of the Divine Spark 
— ^the Ego — the Real Self. The Divine Spark is hid- 
den in the lower forms of life — even in the lower 
forms of human life — ^by many sheaths that shut out 
its light. But, nevertheless, it is there, always. It 
sleeps within the mind of the savage — then, as he un- 
folds, it begins to throw out its light. In you, the 
Candidate, it is fighting hard to have its beams pierce 
through the material coverings When the Real Self 
begins to arouse itself from its sleep, its dreams van- 
ish from it, and it begins to see the world as it is, and 



4 RAJA YOGA. 

to recognize itself in Reality and not as the distorted 
thing of its dreams. 

The savage and barbarian are scarcely conscious 
of the "I." They are but a little above the animal' 
in point of consciousness, and their "I" is almost en- 
tirely a matter of the consciousness of the wants of 
the body ; the satisfaction of the appetites ; the grati- 
fication of the passions ; the securing of personal com- 
fort; the expression of lust, savage power, etc. In 
the savage the lower part of the Instinctive Mind is 
the seat of the "I." (See "Fourteen Lessons" for ex- 
planation of the several mental planes of man.) If 
the savage could analyze his thoughts he would say 
that the "I" was the physical body, the said body hav- 
ing certain "feelings," "wants" and "desires." The 
"I" of such a man is a physical "I," the body repre- 
senting its form and substance. Not only is this true 
of the savage, but even among so-called "civilized" 
men of to-day we find many in this stage. They have 
developed powers of thinking and reasoning, but they 
do not "live in their minds" as do some of their broth- 
ers. They use their thinking powers for the gratifica- 
tion of their bodily desires and cravings, and really live 
on the plane of the Instinctive Mind. Such a person 
may speak of "my mind," or "my soul," not from a 
high position where he looks upon these things from 
the standpoint of a Master who realizes his Real Self, 
but from below, from the point-of-view of the man who 
lives on the plane of the Instinctive Mind and who sees 
above himself the higher attributes. To such people the 



THE "I." 5 

body is the "I." Their "I" is bound up with the 
senses, and that which comes to them through the 
senses. Of course, as Man advances in "culture" and 
"civiHzation," his senses become educated, and are sat- 
isfied only with more refined things, while the less cul- 
tivated man is perfectly satisfied with the more ma- 
terial and gross sense gratifications. Much that we 
call "cultivation" and "culture" is naught but a culti- 
vation of a more refined form of sense gratification, 
instead of a real advance in consciousness and unfold- 
ment. It is true that the advanced student and Mas- 
ter is possessed of highly developed senses, often far 
surpassing those of the ordinary man, but in such 
cases the senses have been cultivated under the mas- 
tery of the Will, and are made servants of the Ego 
instead of things hindering the progress of the soul — 
they are made servants instead of masters. 

As Man advances in the scale, he begins to have a 
somewhat higher conception of the "I." He begins to 
use his mind and reason, and he passes on to the Men- 
tal Plane — his mind begins to manifest upon the plane 
of Intellect. He finds that there is something within 
him that is higher than the body. He finds that his 
mind seems more real to him than does the physical 
part of him, and in times of deep thought and study 
he is able almost to forget the existence of the body. 

In this second stage, Man soon becomes perplexed. 
He finds problems that demand an answer, but as soon 
as he thinks he has answered them the problems pre- 
sent themselves in a new phase, and he is called upon 



6 RAJA YOGA. 

to "explain his explanation," The mind, even al- 
though not controlled and directed by the Will, has a 
wonderful range, but, nevertheless, Man finds himself 
traveling around and around in a circle, and realizes 
that he is confronted continually by the Unknown. 
This disturbs him, and the higher the stage of "book 
learning" he attains, the more disturbed does he be- 
come. The man of but little knowledge does not see 
the existence of many problems that force themselves 
before the attention of the man of more knowledge, 
and demand an explanation from him. The tortures 
of the man who has attained the mental growth that 
enables him to see the new problems and the impos- 
sibility of their answer, cannot be imagined by one who 
has not advanced to that stage. 

The man in this stage of consciousness thinks of 
his "I" as a mental thing, having a lower companion, 
the body. He feels that he has advanced, but yet his 
"I" does not give him the answer to the riddles and 
questions that perplex him. And he becomes most 
unhappy. Such men often develop into Pessimists, 
and consider the whole of life as utterly evil and dis- 
appointing — a curse rather than a blessing. Pessimism 
belongs to this plane, for neither the Physical Plane 
man or the Spiritual Plane man have this curse of 
Pessimism. The former man has no such disquiet- 
ing thoughts, for he is almost entirely absorbed in 
gratifying his animal nature, while the latter man 
recognizes his mind as an instrument of himself, 
rather than as himself, and knows it to be imperfect 



THE "I." 7 

in its present stage of growth. He knows that he has 
in himself the key to all knowledge— locked up in the 
Ego — and which the trained mind, cultivated, devel- 
oped and guided by the awakened Will, may grasp as 
it unfolds. Knowing this the advanced man no longer 
despairs, and, recognizing his real nature, and his pos- 
sibilities, as he awakens into a consciousness of his 
powers and capabilities, he laughs at the old despon- 
dent, pessimistic ideas, and discards them like a worn- 
out garment. Man on the Mental Plane of conscious- 
ness is like a huge elephant who knows not his own 
strength. He could break down barriers and assert 
himself over nearly any condition or environment, 
but in his ignorance of his real condition and power 
he may be mastered by a puny driver, or frightened by 
the rustling of a piece of paper. 

When the Candidate becomes an Initiate — when he 
passes from the purely Mental Plane on to the Spir- 
itual Plane— he realizes that the "I," the Real Self- 
is something higher than either body or mind, and that 
both of the latter may be used as tools and instru- 
ments by the Ego or "I." This knowledge is not 
reached by purely intellectual reasoning, although such 
efforts of the mind are often necessary to help in the 
unfoldment, and the Masters so use it. The real 
knowledge, however, comes as a special form of con- 
sciousness. The Candidate becomes "aware" of the 
real *T," and this consciousness being attained, he 
passes to the rank of the Initiates. When the Initiate 
passes the second degree of consciousness, and begins 



8 RAJA YOGA. 

to grow into a realization of his relationsiup to the 
Whole — when he begins to manifest the Expansion of 
Self— then is he on the road to Mastership. 

In the present lesson we shall endeavor to point out 
to the Candidate the methods of developing or increas- 
ing the realization of this "I" consciousness — this 
first degree work. We give the following exercises or 
development drills for the Candidate to practice. He 
will find that a careful and conscientious following of 
these directions will tend to unfold in him a sufficient 
degree of the "I" consciousness, to enable him to enter 
into higher stages of development and power. All 
that is necessary is for the Candidate to feel within 
himself the dawn of the awakening consciousness, or 
awareness of the Real Self. The higher stages of the 
"I" consciousness come gradually, for once on the 
Path there is no retrogression or going backward. 
There may be pauses on the journey, but there is no 
such thing as actually losing that which is once gained 
on The Path. 

This "I" consciousness, even in its highest stages, 
is but a preliminary step toward what is called "Illu- 
mination," and which signifies the awakening of the 
Initiate to a realization of his actual connection with 
and relation to the Whole. The full sight of the glory 
of the 'T," is but a faint reflected glow of "Illumina- 
tion." The Candidate, once that he enters fully into 
the "I" consciousness, becomes an "Initiate." And 
the Initiate who enters into the dawn of Illumination 
takes his first step upon the road to Mastery. The 



THE "I." 9 

Initiation is the awakening of the soul to a knowledge 
of its real existence— the Illumination is the revela- 
tion of the real nature of the soul, and of its rela- 
tionship with the Whole. After the first dawn of the 
"I" consciousness has been attained, the Candidate is 
more able to grasp the means of developing the con- 
sciousness to a still higher degree — is more able to 
use the powers latent within him; to control his own 
mental states; to manifest a Centre of Consciousness 
and Influence that will radiate into the outer world 
which is always striving and hunting for such cen- 
tres around which it may revolve. 

Man must master himself before he can hope to ex- 
ert an influence beyond himself. There is no royal 
road to unfoldment and power — each step must be 
taken in turn, and each Candidate must take the step 
himself, and by his own effort. But he may, and will, 
be aided by the helping hand of the teachers who 
have traveled The Path before him, and who know just 
when that helping hand is needed to lift the Candi- 
date over the rough places. 

We bid the Candidate to pay strict attention to the 
following instruction, as . it is all important. Do not 
slight any part of it, for we are giving you only 
what is necessary, and are stating it as briefly as pos- 
sible. Pay attention, and follow the instruction 
closely. This lesson must be mastered before you 
progress. And it must be practiced not only now, but 
at many stages of the journey, until full Initiatioa 
and Illumination is yours. 



lo RAJA YOGA. 

RULES AND EXERCISES DESIGNED TO AID THE CANDIDATE 
IN HIS INITIATION. 

The first instruction along the line of Initiation is 
designed to awaken the mind to a full realization and 
consciousness of the individuality of the "I." The 
Candidate is taught to relax his body, and to calm his 
mind and to meditate upon the "I" until it is pre- 
sented clearly and sharply before the consciousness. 
We herewith give directions for producing the desired 
physical and mental condition, in which meditation and 
concentration are more readily practiced. This state 
of Meditation will be referred to in subsequent exer- 
cises, so the Candidate is advised to acquaint himself 
thoroughly with it. 

State of Meditation. If possible, retire to a quiet 
place or room, where you do not fear interruption, so 
that your mind may feel secure and at rest. Of course, 
the ideal condition cannot always be obtained, in which 
case you must do the best you can. The idea is that 
you should be able to abstract yourself, so far as is 
possible, from distracting impressions, and you should 
be alone with yourself — in communion with your Real 
Self. 

It is well to place yourself in an easy chair, or on a 
couch, so that you may relax the muscles and free the 
tension of your nerves. You should be able to "let 
go" all over, allowing every muscle to become limp, 
until a feeling of perfect peace and restful calm per- 
meates every particle of your being. Rest the body 
and calm the mind. This condition is best in the 



THE "I." II 

earlier stages of the practice, although after tlie Can- 
didate has acquired a degree of mastery he will be able 
to obtain the physical relaxation and mental calm 
whenever and wherever he desires. 

But he must guard against acquiring a "dreamy" 
way of going around, wrapped in meditation when he 
should be attending to the affairs of life. Remember 
this, the State of Meditation should be entirely under 
the control of the Will, and should be e»tered into 
only deliberately and at the proper times. The Will 
must be master of this, as well as of every other men- 
tal state. The Initiates are not "day dreamers," but 
men and women having full control of themselves and 
their moods. The "I" consciousness while developed 
by meditation and consciousness, soon becomes a fixed 
item of consciousness, and does not have to be pro- 
duced by meditation. In time of trial, doubt, or trou- 
ble, the consciousness may be brightened by an effort 
of the Will (as we shall explain in subsequent lessons) 
without going into the State of Meditation. 

The Realization of the "I." The Candidate 
must first acquaint himself with the reality of the 
"I," before he will be able to learn its real nature. 
This is the first step. Let the Candidate place him- 
self in the State of Meditation, as heretofore described. 
Then let him concentrate his entire attention upon his 
Individual Self, shutting out all thought of the out- 
side world, and other persons. Let him form in his 
mind the idea of himself as a real thing — an actual 
being — an individual entity — a Sun around which re- 



12 RAJA YOGA. 

volves the world. He must see himself as the Centre 
around which the whole world revolves. Let not a 
false modesty, or sense of depreciation interfere with 
this idea, for you are not denying the right of others 
to also consider themselves centres. You are, in fact, 
a centre of consciousness — made so by the Absolute 
— and you are awakening to the fact. Until the Ego 
recognizes itself as a Centre of Thought, Influence 
and Power, it will not be able to manifest these quali- 
ties. And in proportion as it recognizes its position 
as a centre, so will it be able to manifest its qualities. 
It is not necessary that you should compare yourself 
with others, or imagine yourself greater or higher 
than them. In fact, such comparisons are to be re- 
gretted, and are unworthy of the advanced Ego, be- 
ing a mark and indication of a lack of development, 
rather than the reverse. In the Meditation simply 
ignore all consideration of the respective qualities of 
others, and endeavor to realize the fact that YOU are 
a great Centre of Consciousness — a Centre of Power 
— a Centre of Influence — a Centre of Thought. And 
that like the planets circling around the sun, so does 
your world revolve around YOU who are its centre. 
It will not be necessary for you to argue out this 
matter, or to convince yourself of its truth by intel- 
lectual reasoning. The knowledge does not come in 
that way. It comes in the shape of a realization of the 
truth gradually dawning upon your consciousiness 
through meditation and concentration. Carry this 
thought of yourself as a "Centre of Consciousness — 



THE "I." 13 

Influence— Power" with you, for it is an occult truth, 
and in the proportion that you are able to realize it so 
will be your ability to manifest the qualities named. 

No matter how humble may be your position — no 
matter how hard may be your lot — no matter how de- 
ficient in educational advantages you may be — still 
you would not change your "I" with the most for- 
tunate, wisest and highest man or woman in the 
world. You may doubt this, but think for a moment 
and you will see that we are right. When you say 
that you "would like to be" this person or that, you 
really mean that you would like to have their degree 
of intelligence, power, wealth, position, or what not. 
What you want is something that is theirs, or some- 
thing akin to it. But you would not for a moment 
wish to merge your identity with theirs, or to ex- 
change selves. Think of this for a moment. To he 
the other person you would have to let yourself die, 
and instead of yourself you would be the other per- 
son. The real you would be wiped out of existence, 
and you would not be you at all, but would be he. 

If you can but grasp this idea you will see that not 
for a moment would you be willing for such an ex- 
change. Of course such an exchange is impossible. 
The "I" of you cannot be wiped out. It is eternal, 
and will go on, and on, and on, to higher and higher 
states — but it always will be the same "I." Just as 
you, although a far different sort of person from 
your childhood self, still you recognize that the same 
'T" is there, and always has been there. And although 



14 . RAJA YOGA. 

you will attain knowledge, experience, power and wis- 
dom in the coming years, the same "I" will be there. 
The "I" is the Divine Spark and cannot be extin- 
guished. 

The majority of people in the present stage of the 
race development have but a faint conception of the 
reality of the "L" They accept the statement of its 
existence, and are conscious of themselves as an eat- 
ing, sleeping, living creature — something like a higher 
form of animal. But they have not awakened to an 
"awareness" or realization of the "I," which must 
come to all who become real centres of Influence and 
Power. Some men have stumbled into this conscious- 
ness, or a degree of it, without understanding the mat- 
ter. They have "felt" the truth of it, and they have 
stepped out from the ranks of the commonplace peo- 
ple of the world, and have become powers for good 
or bad. This is unfortunate to some extent, as this 
"awareness" without the knowledge that should ac- 
company it may bring pain to the individual and 
others. 

The Candidate must meditate upon the "I," and 
recognize it — feel it — to be a Centre. This is his 
first task. Impress upon your mind the word "I," in 
this sense and understanding, and let it sink deep 
down into your consciousness, so that it will become a 
part of you. And when you say "I," you must ac- 
company the word with the picture of your Ego as a 
Centre of Consciousness, and Thought, and Power, 
and Influence. See yourself thus, surrounded by your 



THE "I." 15 

world. Wherever you go, there goes the Centre of 
your world. YOU are the Centre, and all outside of 
you revolves around that Centre. This is the first 
great lesson on the road to Initiation. Learn it! 

The Yogi Masters teach the Candidates that their 
realization of the "I" as a Centre may be hastened by 
going into the Silence, or State of Meditation, and re- 
peating their first name over slowly, deliberately and 
solemnly a number of times. This exercise tends to 
cause the mind to centre upon the "I," and many 
cases of dawning Initiation have resulted from this 
practice. Many original thinkers have stumbled upon 
this method, without having been taught it. A noted 
example is that of Lord Tennyson, who has written 
that he attained a degree of Initiation in this way. He 
would repeat his own name, over and over, and the 
same time meditating upon his identity, and he re- 
ports that he would become conscious and "aware" 
of his reality and immortality — in short would recog- 
nize himself as a real center of consciousness. 

We think we have given you the key to the first 
stage of meditation and concentration. Before pass- 
ing on, let us quote from one of the old Hindu Mas- 
ters. He says, regarding this matter: "When the 
soul sees itself as a Centre surrounded by its circum- 
ference — when the Sun knows that it is a Sun, and is 
surrounded by its whirling planets — then is it ready 
for the Wisdom and Power of the Masters." 

The Knowledge of the Independence of the 
"I" FROM THE Body, Many of the Candidates find 



i6 RAJA YOGA. 

themselves prevented from a full realization of the 
"I" (even after they have begun to grasp it) by the 
confusing of the reality of the "I" with the sense of 
the physical body. This is a stumbling block that is 
easily overcome by meditation and concentration, the 
independence of the "I" often becoming manifest to 
the Candidate in a flash, upon the proper thought be- 
ing used as the subject of meditation. 

The exercise is given as follows : Place yourself 
in the State of Meditation, and think of YOURSELF 
— the Real "I" — as being independent of the body, but 
using the body as a covering and an instrument. 
Think of the body as you might of a suit of clothes. 
Realize that you are able to leave the body, and still 
be the same "L" Picture yourself as doing this, and. 
looking down upon your body. Think of the body as 
a shell from which you may emerge without affecting 
your identity. Think of yourself as mastering and 
controlling the body that you occupy, and using it to 
the best advantage, making it healthy, strong and vig- 
orous, but still being merely a shell or covering for 
the real "You." Think of the body as composed of 
atoms and cells which are constantly changing, but 
which are held together by the force of your Ego, 
and which you can improve at Will. Realize that 
you are merely inhabiting the body, and using it for 
your convenience, just as you might use a house. 

In meditating further, ignore the body entirely, and 
place your thought upon the Real "I" that you are 
beginning to feel to be "you," and you will find that 



THE "I." 17 

your identity — your "I" — is something entirely apart 
from the body. .You may now say "my body" with a 
new meaning. Divorce the idea of your being a 
physical being, and realize that you are above body. 
But do not let this conception and realization cause 
you to ignore the body. You must regard the body 
as the Temple of the Spirit, and care for it, and make 
it a fit habitation for the "I." Do not be frightened 
if, during this meditation, you happen to experience 
the sensation of being out of the body for a few mo- 
ments, and of returning to it when you are through 
with the exercise. The Ego is able (in the case of the 
advanced Initiate) of soaring above the confines of 
the body, but it never severs its connection at such 
times. It is merely as if one were to look out of the 
window of a room, seeing what was going on outside, 
and drawing in his head when he wishes. He does 
not leave the room, although he may' place his head 
outside in order to observe what is doing in the street. 
We do not advise the Candidate to try to cultivate this 
sensation — ^but if it comes naturally during medita- 
tion, do not fear. 

Realizing the Immortality and Invincibility 
OF THE Ego. While the majority accept on faith the 
belief in the Immortality of the Soul, yet but few are 
aware that it may be demonstrated by the soul itself. 
The Yogi Masters teach the Candidates this lesson, 
as follows : The Candidate places himself in the State 
of Meditation, or at least in a thoughtful frame of 
mind, and then endeavors to "imagine" himself as 



1 8 RAJA YOGA. 

"dead" — ^that is, he tries to form a mental conception 
of himself as dead. This, at first thought, appears a 
very easy thing to imagine, but as a matter of fact it 
is impossible to do so, for the Ego refuses to enter- 
tain the proposition, and finds it impossible to imag- 
ine it. Try it for yourself. You will find that you 
may be able to imagine your body as lying still and 
lifeless, but the same thought finds that in so doing 
You are standing and looking at the body. So you 
see that You are not dead at all, even in imagination, 
although the body may be. Or, if you refuse to dis- 
entangle yourself from your body, in imagination, you 
may think of your body as dead but You who refuse 
to leave it are still alive and recognize the dead body 
as a thing apart from your Real Self. No matter 
how you may twist it you cannot imagine yourself as 
dead. The Ego insists upon being alive in any of 
these thoughts, and thus finds that it has within itself 
the sense and assurance of Immortality. In case of 
sleep or stupor resulting from a blow, or from nar- 
cotics or anaesthetics, the mind is apparently blank, 
but the "I" is conscious of a continuity of existence. 
And so one may imagine himself as being in an un- 
conscious state, or asleep, quite easily, and sees the 
possibility of such a state, but when it comes to imag- 
ining the "I" as dead, the mind utterly refuses to do 
the work. This wonderful fact that the soul carries 
within itself the evidence of its own immortality is a 
glorious thing, but one must have reached a degree 



THE "I." 19 

of unfoldment before he is able to grasp its full sig- 
nificance. 

The Candidate is advised to investigate the above 
statement for himself, by meditation and concentra- 
tion, for in order that the "I" may know its true na- 
ture and possibilities, it must realize that it cannot be 
destroyed or killed. It must know what it is before 
it is able to manifest its nature. So do not leave this 
part of the teaching until you have mastered it. And 
it is well occasionally to return to it, in order that you 
may impress upon the mind the fact of your immortal 
and eternal nature. The mere glimmering of this con- 
ception of truth will give you an increased sense of 
strength and power, and you will find that your Self 
has expanded and grown, and that you are more of a 
power and Centre than you have heretofore realized. 

The following exercises are useful in bringing 
about a realization of the invincibility of the Ego — its 
superiority to the elements. 

Place yourself in the State of Meditation, and imag- 
ine the 'T" as withdrawn from the body. See it pass- 
ing through the tests of air, fire and water unharmed. 
The body being out of the way, the soul is seen to 
be able of passing through the air at will — of floating 
like a bird — of soaring — of traveling in the ether. It 
may be seen as able to pass through fire without harm 
and without sensation, for the elements affect only the 
physical body, not the Real "I." Likewise it may be 
seen as passing through water without discomfort or 
danger or hurt. 



20 RAJA YOGA. 

This meditation will give you a sense of superiority 
and strength, and will show you something of the na- 
ture of the real "I." It is true that you are confined 
in the body, and the body may be affected by the ele- 
ments, but the knowledge that the Real "I" is superior 
to the body — superior to the elements that affect the 
body — and cannot be injured any more than it can be 
killed, is wonderful, and tends to develop the full "I" 
consciousness within you. For You — the Real "I" — 
are not body. You are Spirit. The Ego is Immortal 
and Invincible, and cannot be killed and harmed. 
When you enter into this realization and conscious- 
ness, you will feel an influx of strength and power 
impossible to describe. Fear will fall from you like a 
worn-out cloak, and you will feel that you are "born 
again." An understanding of this thought, will show 
you that the things that we have been fearing cannot 
affect the Real "I," but must rest content with hurting 
the physical body. And they may be warded off from 
the physical body by a proper understanding and ap- 
plication of the Will. 

In our next lesson, you will be taught how to sep- 
arate the 'T" from the mechanism of the mind — 'how 
you may realize your mastery of the mind, just as you 
now realize your independence of the body. This 
knowledge must be imparted to you by degrees, and 
you must place your feet firmly upon one round of 
the ladder before you take the next step. 

The watchword of this First Lesson is "I." And 
the Candidate must enter fully into its meaning before 



THE "I." 21 

he is ablfc to progress. He must realize his real ex- 
istence — independent of the body. He must see him- 
self as invincible and impervious to harm, hurt, or 
death. He must see himself as a great Centre of Con- 
sciousness — a Sun around which his world revolves. 
Then will come to him a new strength. He v/ill feel 
a calm dignity and power, which will be apparent to 
those with whom he comes in contact. He will be able 
to look the world in the face without flinching, and 
without fear, for he will realize the nature and power 
* of the "I."- He will realize that he is a Centre of 
Power — of Influence. He will realize that nothing 
can harm the "I," and that no matter how the storms 
of life may dash upon the personality, the real "I" — 
the Individuality — is unharmed. Like a rock that 
stands steadfast throughout the storm, so does the "I" 
stand through the tempests of the life of personality. 
And he will know that as he grows in realization, he 
will be able to control these storms and bid them be 
still. 

In the words of one of the Yogi Masters: "The 
T' is eternal. It passes unharmed through the fire, 
the air, the water. Sword and spear cannot kill or 
wound it. It cannot die. The trials of the physical 
life are but as dreams to it. Resting secure in the 
knowledge of the 'I,' Man may smile at the worst the 
world has to offer, and raising his hand he may bid 
them disappear into the mist from which they emerged. 
Blessed is he who can say (understandingly) T." 

So dear Candidate, we leave you to master the 



22 RAJA YOGA. 

First Lesson. Be not discouraged if your progress 
be slow. Be not cast down if you slip back a step 
after having gained it. You will gain two at the next 
step. Success and realization will be yours. Mastery 
is before. You will Attain. You will Accomplish. 
Peace be with you. 



MANTRAMS (AFFIRMATIONS) 
FOR THE FIRST LESSON. 

"I" am a Centre. Around mc revolves my world. 

"I" am a Centre of Influence and Power. 

"I" am a Centre of Thought and Consciousness. 

"I" am Independent of the Body. 

*T" am Immortal and cannot be Destroyed. 

"I" am Invincible and cannot be Injured. 




THE SECOND LESSON. 

The Ego's Mental Tools, 

In the First Lesson we gave instruction and exer- 
cises designed to awaken the consciousness of the 
Candidate to a realization of the real "I." We con- 
fined our instructions to the preliminary teachings ©f 
the reality of the "I," and the means whereby the 
Candidate might be brought to a realization of his 
real Self, and its independence from the body and the 
things of the flesh. We tried to show you how you 
might awaken to a consciousness of the reality of the 
"I" ; its real nature ; its independence of the body ; its 
immortality ; its invincibility and invulnerability. How 
well we have succeeded may be determined only by 
the experience of each Candidate, for we can but 
point out the way, and the Candidate must do the real 
work himself. 

But there is more to be said and done ill this matter 
of awakening to a realization of the "I." So far, we 
have but told you how to distinguish between the ma- 
terial coverings of the Ego and the "I" itself. We 
have tried to show you that you had a real "I," and 
then to show you what it was, and how it was inde- 
pendent of the material coverings, etc. But there is 
still another step in this self analysis — a more difficult 
step. Even when the Candidate has awakened to a 
realization of his independence of the body, and ma- 
terial coverings, he often confounds the "I" with the 
lower principles of the mind. This is a mistake. The 

23 



24 RAJA YOGA. 

Mind, in its various phases and planes, is but a tool 
and instrument of the "I," and is far from being the 
"I" itself. We shall try to bring out this fact in this 
lesson and its accompanying exercises. We shall 
avoid, and pass by, the metaphysical features of the 
case, and shall confine ourselves to the Yogi Psychol- 
ogy. We shall not touch upon theories, nor attempt 
to explain the cause, nature and purpose of the Mind — 
the working tool of the Ego — but instead shall at- 
tempt to point out a v^ay whereby you may analyze 
the Mind and then determine which is the "not I" and 
which is the real ''I." It is useless to burden you with 
theories or metaphysical talk, when the way to prove 
the thing is right v/ithin your own grasp. By using 
the mind, you will be able to separate it into its parts, 
and force it to give you its own answer to the ques- 
tions touching itself. 

In the second and third lessons of our "Fourteen 
Lessons/' we pointed out to you the fact that man 
had three Mental Principles, or subdivisions of mind, 
all of which were below the plane of Spirit. The "1" 
is Spirit, but its mental principles are of a lower order. 
Without wishing to unduly repeat ourselves, we think 
it better to run hastily over these three Principles in 
the mind of Man. 

First, there is what is known as the Instinctive 
Mind, Vv^hich man shares in common with the lower 
animals. It is the first principle of mind that appears 
in the scale of evolution. In its lowest phases, con- 
sciousness is but barely perceptible, and mere sensa- 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 25 

tion is apparent. In its higher stages it almost 
reaches the plane of Reason or Intellect, in fact, they 
overlap each other, or, rather, blend into each other. 
The Instinctive Mind does valuable work in the direc- 
tion of maintaining animal life in our bodies, it hav- 
ing charge of this part of our being. It attends to 
the constant work of repair; replacement; change; 
digestion; assimilation; elimination, etc., all of which 
work is performed below the plane of consciousness. 
But this is but a small part of the work of the In- 
stinctive Mind. For this part of the mind has stored 
up all the experiences of ourselves and ancestors in 
our evolution from the lower forms of animal life into 
the present stage of evolution. All of the old animal 
instincts (which were all right in their place, and quite 
necessary for the well-being of the lower forms of 
life) have left traces in this part of the mind, which 
traces are apt to come to the front under pressure of 
unusual circumstances, even long after we think we 
have outgrown them. In this part of the mind are to 
be found traces of the old fighting instinct of the 
animal; all the animal passions; all the hate, envy, 
jealousy, and the rest of it, which are our inheritances 
from the past. The Instinctive Mind is also the 
"habit mind" in which is stored up all the little, and 
great, habits of many lives, or rather such as have not 
been entirely effaced by subsequent habits of a stronger 
nature. The Instinctive Mind is a queer storehouse, 
containing quite a variety of objects, many of them 
very good in their way, but others of which are the 
worst kind of old junk and rubbish. 



26 RAJA YOGA. 

This part of the mind also is the seat of the appe- 
tites; passions; desires; instincts; sensations; feeHngs 
and emotions of the lower order, manifested in the 
lower animals ; primitive man ; the barbarian ; and the 
man of today, the difference being only in the degree 
of control over them that has been gained by the 
higher parts of the mind. There are higher desires, 
aspirations, etc., belonging to a higher part of the 
mind, which we will describe in a few minutes, but the 
"animal nature" belongs to the Instinctive Mind. To 
it also belong the "feelings" belonging to our emo- 
tional and passional nature. All animal desires, such 
as hunger and thirst; sexual desires (on the physical 
plane); all passions, such as physical love; hatred; 
envy ; malice ; jealousy ; revenge, etc., are part of this 
part of the mind. The desire for the physical (unless 
a means of reaching higher things) and the longing 
for the material, belong to this region of the mind. 
The "lust of the flesh ; the lust of the eyes ; the pride 
of life," belong to the Instinctive Mind. 

Take note, however, that we are not condemning 
the things belonging to this plane of the mind. All 
of them have their place — many were necessary in the 
past, and many are still necessary for the continuance 
of physical life. All are right in their place, and to 
those in the particular plane of development to which 
they belong, and are wrong only when one is mastered 
by them, or when he returns to pick up an unworthy 
thing that has been cast off in the unfoldment of the 
individual. This lesson has nothing to do with the 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 27 

right and wrong of these things (we have treated of 
that elsewhere) and we mention this part of the mind 
that you may understand that you have such a thing 
in your mental make-up, and that you may understand 
the thought, etc., coming from it, when we start in 
to analyze the mind in the latter part of this lesson. 
All we will ask you to do at this stage of the lesson 
is to realize that this part of the mind, while belonging 
to you, is not You, yourself. It is not the "I" part 
of you. 

Next in order, above the Instinctive Mind, is what 
we have called the Intellect, that part of the mind 
that does our reasoning, analyzing; "thinking," etc. 
You are using it in the consideration of this lesson. 
But note this : You are using it, but it is not You, 
any more than was the Instinctive Mind that you con- 
sidered a moment ago. You will begin to make the 
separation, if you will think but a moment. We will 
not take up your time with a consideration of Intel- 
lect or Reason. You will find a good description of 
this part of the mind in any good elementary work on 
Psychology. Our only idea in mentioning it is that 
you may make the classification, and that we may 
afterward show you that the Intellect is but a tool of 
the Ego, instead of being the real "I" itself, as so 
many seem to imagine. 

The third, and highest, Mental Principle is what is 
called the Spiritual Mind, that part of the mind which 
is almost unknown to many of the race, but which has 
developed into consciousness with nearly all who read 



28 RAJA YOGA. 

this lesson, for the fact that the subject of this lesson 
attracts you is a proof that this part of your mental 
nature is unfolding into consciousness. This region 
of the mind is the source of that which we call 
"genius," "inspiration," "spirituality," and all that we 
consider the "highest" in our mental make-up. All 
the great thoughts and ideas float into the field of 
consciousness from this part of the mind. All the 
great unfoldment of the race comes from there. All 
the higher mental ideas that have come to Man in his 
upward evolutionary journey, that tend in the direc- 
tion of nobility ; true religious feeling ; kindness ; hu- 
manity ; justice ; unselfish love ; mercy ; sympathy, etc., 
have come to him through his slowly unfolding Spir* 
itual Mind. His love of God and of his fellow man 
have come in this way. His knowledge of the great 
occult truths reach him through this channel. The 
mental realization of the "I," which we are endeavor- 
ing to teach in these lessons, must come to him by 
way of the Spiritual Mind unfolding its ideas into his 
field of consciousness. 

But even this great and wonderful part of the mind 
is but a tool — a highly finished one, it is true, but 
still a tool— to the Ego, or "I." 

We propose to give you a little mental drill work, 
toward the end that you may be able more readily to 
distinguish the "I" from the mind, or mental states. 
In this connection we would say that every part, 
plane, and function of the mind is good, and neces- 
sary, and the student must not fall into the error of 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 29 

supposing that because we tell him to set aside first 
this part of the mind, and then that part, that we are 
undervaluing the mind, or that we regard it as an 
encumbrance or hindrance. Far from this, we realize 
that it is hy the use of the mind that Man is enabled 
to arrive at a knowledge of his true nature and Self, 
and that his progress through many stages yet will 
depend upon the unfolding of his mental faculties. 

Man is now using but the lower and inferior parts 
of his mind, and he has within his mental world great 
unexplored regions that far surpass anything of which 
the human mind has dreamed. In fact, it is part of 
the business of "Raja Yoga" to aid in unfolding these 
higher faculties and mental regions. And so far from 
decrying the Mind, the "Raja Yoga" teachers are 
chiefly concerned in recognizing the Mind's power 
and possibilities, and directing the student to avail 
himself of the latent powers that are inherent in his 
soul. 

It is only by the mind that the teachings we are 
now giving you may be grasped and understood, and 
used to your advantage and benefit. We are talking 
direct to your mind now, and are making appeals to 
it, that it may be interested and may open itself to 
what is ready to come into it from its own higher 
regions. We are appealing to the Intellect to direct 
its attention to this great matter, that it may interpose 
less resistance to the truths that are waiting to be pro- 
jected from the Spiritual Mind, which knows the 
Truth. 



30 .RAJA YOGA. 

MENTAL DRILL. 

Place yourself in a calm, restful condition, that you 
may be able to meditate upon the matters that we 
shall place before you for consideration. Allow the 
matters presented to meet with a hospitable reception 
from you, and hold a mental attitude of willingness 
to receive what may be waiting for you in the higher 
regions of your mind. 

We wish to call your attention to several mental 
impressions or conditions, one after another, in order 
that you may realize that they are merely something 
incident to you, and not YOU yourself — that you may 
set them aside and consider them, just as you might 
anything that you have been using. You cannot set 
the "I" aside and so consider it, but the various forms 
of the "not I" may be so set aside and considered. 

In the First Lesson you gained the perception of 
the "I" as independent from the body, the latter 
merely being an instrument for use. You have now 
arrived at the stage when the "I" appears to you to 
be a mental creature — a bundle of thoughts, feelings, 
moods, etc. But you must go farther. You must 
be able to distinguish the "I" from these mental con- 
ditions, which are as much tools as is the body and 
its parts. 

Let us begin by considering the thoughts more 
closely connected with the body, and then work up 
to the higher mental states. 

The sensations of the body, such as hunger; thirst; 
pain; pleasurable sensations; physical desires, etc., 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 31 

etc., are not apt to be mistaken for essential qualities 
of the "I" by many of the Candidates, for they have 
passed beyond this stage, and have learned to set 
aside these sensations, to a greater or lesser extent, 
by an effort of the Will, and are no longer slaves to 
them. Not that they do not experience these sensa- 
tions, but they have grown to regard them as incidents 
of the physical life — good in their place — but useful 
to the advanced man only when he has mastered them 
to the extent that he no longer regards them as close 
to the "L" And yet, to some people, these sensations 
are so closely identified with their conception of the 
"I" that when they think of themselves they think 
merely of a bundle of these sensations. They are not 
able to set them aside and consider them as things 
apart, to be used when necessary and proper, but as 
things not fastened to the "L" The more advanced a 
man becomes the farther off seem these sensations. 
Not that he does not feel hungry, for instance. Not 
at all, for he recognizes hunger, and satisfies it wythin 
reason, knowing that his physical body is making de- 
mands for attention, and that these demands should be 
heeded. But — mark the difference — instead of feel- 
ing that the "I" is hungry the man feels 
that "my body" is hungry, just as he might 
become conscious that his horse or dog was 
crying for food insistently. Do you see what 
we mean? It is that the man no longer identi- 
fies himself — ^the "I" — with the body, consequently 
the thoughts which are most closely allied to the phy- 



32 RAJA YOGA. 



«T»> 



sical life seem comparatively "separate" from his "I 
conception. Such a man thinks "my stomach, this/' 
or "my leg, that," or "my body, thus," instead of " 'I,' 
this," or " T that." He is able, almost automatically, 
to think of the body and its sensations as things of 
him, and belonging to him, which require attention 
and care, rather than as real parts of the "I." He is 
able to form a conception of the "I" as existing with- 
out any of these things — without the body and its 
sensations — and so he has taken the first step in the 
realization of the "I." 

Before going on, we ask the students to stop a few 
moments, and mentally run over these sensations of the 
body. Form a mental image of them, and realize that 
they are merely incidents to the present stage of 
growth and experience of the "I," and that they form 
no 'real part of it. They may, and will be, left behind 
in the Ego's higher planes of advancement. You may 
have attained this mental conception perfectly, long 
since, but we ask that to give yourself the mental 
drill at this time, in order to fasten upon your mind 
this first step. 

In realizing that you are able to set aside, mentally, 
these sensations — that you are able to hold them out 
at arm's length and "consider" them as an "outside" 
thing, you mentally determine that they are "not I" 
things, and you set them down in the "not I" collec- 
tion — the first to be placed there. Let us try to make 
this still plainer, even at the risk of wearying you by 
repetitions (for you must get this idea firmly fixed 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 33 

in your mind). To be able to say that a thing is 
"not I," you must realize that there are two things in 
question (i) the "not I" thing, and (2) the "I" who 
is regarding the "not I" thing just as the "I" regards 
a lump of sugar, or a mountain. Do you see what we 
mean ? Keep at it until you do. 

Next, consider some of the emotions, such as anger ; 
hate; love, in its ordinary forms; jealousy; ambition; 
and the hundred and one other emotions that sweep 
through our brains. You will find that you are able to 
set each one of these emotions or feelings aside and 
study it; dissect it; analyze it; consider it. You will 
be able to understand the rise, progress and end of 
each of these feelings, as they have come to you, and 
as you recall them in your memory or imagination, 
just as readily as you would were you observing their 
occurrence in the mind of a friend. You will find 
them all stored away in some parts of your mental 
make-up, and you may (to use a modern American 
slang phrase) "make them trot before you, and show 
their paces," Don't you see that they are not "You" — 
that they are merely something that you carry around 
with you in a mental bag. You can imagine your- 
self as living without them, and still being "I," can 
you not? 

And. the very fact that you are able to set them 
aside and examine and consider them is a proof that 
they are "not I" things — for there are two things in 
the matter ( i ) You who are examining and consider- 
ing them, and (2) the thing itself which is the object 



34 RAJA YOGA. 

of the examination and consideration at mental arm's 
length. So into the "not I" collection go these emo- 
tions, desirable and undesirable. The collection is 
steadily grov/ing, and will attain quite formidable 
proportions after a while. 

Now, do not imagine that this is a lesson designed 
to teach you how to discard these emotions, although 
if it enables you to get rid of the undesirable ones, 
so much the better. This is not our object, for we 
bid you place the desirable (at this time) ones in 
with the opposite kind, the idea being to bring you 
to a realization that the "I" is higher, above and 
independent of these mental somethings, and then 
when you have realized the nature of the "I," you 
may return and use (as a Master) the things that 
have been using you as a slave. So do not be afraid 
to throw these emotions (good and bad) into the 
"not I" collection. You may go back to them, and 
use the good ones, after the Mental Drill is over. No 
matter how much you may think that you are bound 
by any of these emotions, you will realize, by careful 
analysis, that it is of the "not I" kind, for the "I" 
existed before the emotion came into active play, and 
it will live long after the emotion has faded away. 
The principal proof is that you are able to hold it 
out at arm's length and examine it — a proof that it 
is "not I.' 

Run through the entire list of your feelings; emo- 
tions ; moods ; and what not, just as you would those 
of a well-known friend or relative, and you will see 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 35 

that each one — every one— is a "not I" thing, and 
you will lay it aside for the time, for the purpose of 
the scientific experiment, at least. 

Then passing on to the Intellect, you will be able 
to hold out for examination each mental process and 
principle. You don't believe it, you may say. Then 
read and study some good work on Psychology, and 
you will learn to dissect and analyze every intellectual 
process — and to classify it and place it in the proper 
pigeon-hole. Study Psychology by means of some 
good text-book, and you will find that one by one 
every intellectual process is classified, and talked about 
and labeled, just as you would a collection of flowers. 
If that does not satisfy you, turn the leaves of some 
work on Logic, and you will admit that you may hold 
these intellectual processes at arm's length and ex- 
amine them, and talk about them to others. So that 
these wonderful tools of Man — the Intellectual pow- 
ers may be placed in the "not I" collection, for the 
*T" is capable of standing aside and viewing them — 
it is able to detach them from itself. The most re- 
markable thing about this is that in admitting this 
fact, you realize that the "I" is using these very 
intellectual faculties to pass upon themselves. Who 
is the Master that compels these faculties to do this 
to themselves? The Master of the Mind— The "I." 

And reaching the higher regions of the mind — even 
the Spiritual Mind, you will be compelled to admit 
that the things that have come into consciousness 
from that region may be considered and studied, just 



36 RAJA YOGA. 

as may be any other mental thing, and so even these 
high things must be placed in the "not I" collection. 
You may object that this does not prove that all the 
things in the Spiritual Mind may be so treated — that 
there may be "I" things there that can not be so 
treated. We will not discuss this question, for you 
know nothing about the Spiritual Mind except as it 
has revealed itself to you, and the higher regions of 
that mJnd are like the mind of a God, when compared 
to what yoii call mind. But the evidence of the Illu- 
mined — those in whom the Spiritual Mind has won- 
derfully unfolded tell us that even in the highest 
forms of development, the Initiates, yea, even the 
Masters, realize that above even their highest mental 
states there is always that eternal "I" brooding over 
them, as the Sun over the lake; and that the highest 
conception of the "I" known even to advanced souls, 
is but a faint reflection of the 'T' filtering through 
the Spiritual Mind, although that Spiritual Mind is 
as clear as the clearest crystal when compared with 
our comparatively opaque mental states. And the 
highest mental state is but a tool or instrument of 
the "I," and is not the "I" itself. 

And yet the "I" is to be found in the faintest forms 
of consciousness, and animates even the unconscious 
life. The "I" is always the same, but its apparent 
growth is the result of the mental unfoldment of the in- 
dividual. As we described it in one of the lessons of 
the "Advanced Course" it is like an electric lamp that 
is encased in many wrappings of cloth. As cloth after 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. zi 

doth is removed, the light seems to grow brighter aaad 
stronger, and yet it has changed not, the change being 
in the removal of the confining and bedimming cover- 
ings. We do not expect to make you realize the "I" 
in all its fullness — that is far beyond the highest known 
to man of to-day — but we do hope to bring you to a 
realization of the highest conception of the "I," pos- 
sible to each of you in your present stage of unfold- 
ment, and in the process we expect to cause to drop 
from you some of the confining sheaths that you have 
about outgrown. The sheaths are ready for dropping, 
and all that is required is the touch of a friendly hand 
to cause them to fall fluttering from you. We wish 
to bring you to the fullest possible (to you) realiza- 
tion of the "I," in order to make an Individual of you 
— in order that you may understand, and have courage 
to take up the tools and instruments lying at your 
hand, and do the work before you. 

And now, back to the Mental Drill. After you have 
satisfied yourself that about everything that you are 
capable of thinking about is a "not I" thing — a tool and 
instrument for your use — you will ask, "And now, 
what is there left that should not be thrown in the 
"not I" collection. To this question we answer 
"THE T' ITSELF." And when you demand a proof 
we say, "Try to set aside the T' for consideration !" 
You may try from now until the passing away of in- 
finities of infinities, and you will never be able to set 
aside the real "I" for consideration. You may think 
you can, but a little reflection will show you that 



38 RAJA YOGA. 

you are merely setting aside some of your mental quali- 
ties or faculties. And in this process what is the "I" 
doing? Simply setting aside and considering things. 
Can you not see that the "I" cannot be both the con- 
siderer and the thing considered — the examiner and 
the thing examined? Can the sun shine upon itself 
by its own light? You may consider the "I" of some 
other person, but it is your "I" that is consideringc But 
you cannot, as an "I," stand aside and see yourself as 
an "I." Then what evidence have we that there is an 
"I" to us ? This : that you are always conscious of be- 
ing the considerer and examiner, instead of the con- 
sidered and examined thing — and then, you have the 
evidence of your consciousness. And what report does 
this consciousness give us? Simply this, and nothing 
more : "I AM." That is all that the "I" is conscious 
of, regarding its true self : "I AM," but that conscious- 
ness is worth all the rest, for the rest is but "not I" 
tools that the "1" may reach out and use. 

And so at the final analysis, you will find that there 
is something that refuses to be set aside and examined 
by the "I." And that something is the "I" itself— 
that "I" eternal, unchangeable — that drop of the Great 
Spirit Ocean — that spark from the Sacred Flame. 

Just as you find it impossible to imagine the "I" as 
dead, so will you find it impossible to set aside the "I" 
for consideration — all that comes to you is the testi- 
mony: "I AM." 

If you were able to set aside the "I" for considera- 
tion, who would be the one to consider it ? Who could 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 39 

consider except the 'T" itself, and if it be here, how 
could it be there? The "I" cannot be the "not I" even 
in the wildest flights of the imagination — the imagina- 
tion with all its boasted freedom and power, confesses 
itself vanquished when asked to do this thing. 

Oh, students, may you be brought to a realization of 
what you are. May you soon awaken to the fact that 
you are sleeping gods — that you have within you the 
power of the Universe, awaiting your word to mani- 
fest in action. Long ages have you toiled to get this 
far, and long must you travel before you reach even 
the first Great Temple, but you are now entering into 
the conscious stage of Spiritual Evolution. No longer 
will your eyes be closed as you walk the Path. From 
now on you will begin to see clearer and clearer each 
step, in the dawning light of consciousness. 

You are in touch with all of life, and the separation 
of your 'T" from the great Universal "I" is but appar- 
ent and temporary. We will tell you of these things 
in our Third Lesson, but before you can grasp that 
you must develop the "I" consciousness within you. 
Do not lay aside this matter as one of no importance. 
Do not dismiss our weak explanation as being "merely 
words, words, words," as so many are inclined to do. 
We are pointing out a great truth to you. Why not 
follow the leadings of the Spirit which even now — 
this moment while you read — is urging you to walk 
The Path of Attainment? Consider the teachings of 
this lesson, and practice the Mental Drill until your 
mind has grasped its significance, then let it sink deep 



40 RAJA YOGA. 

down into your inner consciousness. Then will you 
be ready for the next lessons, and those to follow. 

Practice this Mental Drill until you are fully assured 
of the reality of the "I" and the relativity of the "not 
"1" in the mind. V/hen you once grasp this truth, you 
will find that you will be able to use the mind with far 
greater power and effect, for you will recognize that 
it is your tool and instrument, fitted and intended to do 
your bidding. You will be able to master your moods, 
and emotions when necessary, and will rise from the 
position of a slave to a Master. 

Our words seem cheap and poor, when we consider 
the greatness of the truth that we are endeavoring to 
convey by means of the^. For who can find words 
to express the inexpressible? All that we may hope 
to do is to awaken a keen interest and attention on 
your part, so that you will practice the Mental Drill, 
and thus obtain the evidence of your own mentality to 
the truth. Truth is not truth to you until you have 
proven it in your own experience, and once so proven 
you cannot be robbed of it, nor can it be argued away 
from you. 

You must realize that in every mental effort You — 
the 'T" — are behind it. You bid the Mind work, and 
it obeys your Will. You are the Master, and not the 
slave of your mind. You are the Driver, not the 
driven. Shake yourself loose from the tyranny of the 
mind that has oppressed you for so long. Assert your- 
self, and be free. We will help you in this direction 
during the course of these lessons, but you must first 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 41 

assert yourself as a Master of your Mind. Sign the 
mental Declaration of Independence from your moods, 
emotions, and uncontrolled thoughts, and assert your 
Dominion over them. Enter into your Kingdom, thou 
manifestation of the Spirit ! 

While this lesson is intended primarily to bring 
clearly into your consciousness the fact that the "I" 
is a reality, separate and distinct from its Mental Tools, 
and while the control of the mental faculties by the 
Will forms a part of some of the future lessons, still, 
v/e think that this is a good place to point out to you 
the advantages arising from a realization of the true 
nature of the 'T" and the relative aspect of the Mind. 

Many of us have supposed that our minds were the 
masters of ourselves, and we have allowed ourselves to 
be tormented and worried by thoughts "running away" 
with us, and presenting themselves at inopportune mo- 
ments. The Initiate is relieved from this annoyance, 
for he learns to assert his mastery over the different 
parts of the mind, and controls and regulates his mental 
processes, just as one would a fine piece of machinery. 
He is able to control his conscious thinking faculties, 
and direct their work to the best advantage, and he 
also learns how to pass on orders to the subconscious 
mental region and bid it work for him while he sleeps, 
or even when he is using his conscious mind in other 
matters. These subjects will be considered by us in 
due time, during the course of lessons. 

In this connection it may be interesting to read what 
Edward Carpenter says of the power of the individual 



42 RAJA YOGA. 

to control his thought processes. In his book "From 
Adam's Peak to Elephanta," in describing his experi- 
ence while visiting a Hindu Gnani Yogi, he says : 

"And if we are unwilling to believe in this internal 
mastery over the body, we are perhaps almost equally 
unaccustomed to the idea of mastery over our own 
inner thoughts and feelings. That a man should be 
a prey to any thought that chances to take possession of 
his mind, is commonly among us assumed as unavoid- 
able. It may be a matter of regret that he should be 
kept awake all night from anxiety as to the issue of a 
lawsuit on the morrow, but that he should have the 
power of determining whether he be kept awake or 
not seems an extravagant demand. The image of an 
impending calamity is no doubt odious, but its very 
odiousness (we say) makes it haunt the mind all the 
more pertinaciously and it is useless to try to expel it. 

"Yet this is an absurd position — for man, the heir 
of all the ages: hag-ridden by the flimsy creatures of 
his own brain. If a pebble in our boot torments us, 
we expel it. We take oflf the boot and shake it out. 
And once the matter is fairly understood it is just as 
easy to expel an intruding and obnoxious thought from 
the mind. About this there ought to be no mistake, no 
two opinions. The thing is obvious, clear and unmis- 
takable. It should be as easy to expel an obnoxious 
thought from your mind as it is to shake a stone out 
of your shoe ; and till a man can do that it is just non- 
sense to talk about his ascendancy over Nature, and 
all the rest of it. He is a mere slave, and prey to the 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 43 

bat-winged phantoms that flit through the corridors 
of his own brain. 

"Yet the weary and careworn faces that we meet by 
thousands, even among the affluent classes of civihza- 
tion, testify only too clearly how seldom this mastery 
is obtained. How rare indeed to meet a man! How 
common rather to discover a creature hounded on by 
tyrant thoughts (or cares or desires), cowering, winc- 
ing under the lash — or perchance priding himself to 
run merrily in obedience to a driver that rattles the 
reins and persuades him that he is free — whom we 
cannot converse with in careless tete-a-tete because that 
alien presence is always there, on the watch. 

"It is one of the most prominent doctrines of Raja 
Yoga that the power of expelling thoughts, or if need 
be, killing them dead on the spot, must be attained. 
Naturally the art requires practice, but like other arts, 
when once acquired there is no mystery or difficulty 
about it. And it is worth practice. It may indeed 
fairly be said that life only begins when this art has 
been acquired. For obviously when instead of being 
ruled by individual thoughts, the whole flock of them 
in their immense multitude and variety and capacity 
is ours to direct and dispatch and employ where we 
list ('for He maketh the winds his messengers and 
the flaming fire His minister'), life becomes a thing 
so vast and grand compared with what it was before, 
that its former condition may well appear almost an- 
tenatal. 

"If you can kill a thought dead, for the time being, 



44 RAJA YOGA. 

you can do anything else with it that you please. And 
therefore it is that this power is so valuable. And it 
not only frees a man from mental torment (which is 
nine-tenths at least of the torment of life), but it gives 
him a concentrated power of handling mental work 
absolutely unknown to him before. The two things are 
co-relative to each other. As already said this is one 
of the principles of Raja Yoga. 

"While at work your thought is to be absolutely 
concentrated in it, undistracted by anything whatever 
irrelevant to the matter in hand — pounding away like 
a great engine, with giant power and perfect economy 
— no wear and tear of friction, or dislocation of parts 
owing to the working of different forces at the same 
time. Then when the v/ork is finished, if there is no 
more occasion for the use of the machine, it must stop 
equally, absolutely — stop entirely — no worrying (as if 
a parcel of boys were allowed to play their devilments 
with a locomotive as soon as it was in the shed) — ancf 
the man must retire into that region of his conscious- 
ness where his true self dwells. 

"I say the power of the thought-machine itself is 
enormously increased by this faculty of letting it alone 
on the one hand, and of using it singly and with con- 
centration on the other. It becomes a true tool, whicK 
a master-workman lays down when done with, but 
which only a bungler carries about with him all the 
time to show that he is the possessor of it." 

We ask the students to read carefully the above 
quotations from Mr. Carpenter's book, for they are full 



THE EGO'S MENTAL TOOLS. 45 

of suggestions that may be taken up to advantage by 
those who are emancipating themselves from their 
slavery to the unmastered mind, and who are now 
bringing the mind under control of the Ego, by means 
of the Will. 

Our next lesson will take up the subject of the re- 
lationship of the "I" to the Universal "I," and will be 
called the "Expansion of the Self." It will deal with 
the subject, not from a theoretical standpoint, but from 
the position of the teacher who is endeavoring to make 
his students actually aware in their consciousness of 
the truth of the proposition. In this course we are not 
trying to make our students past-masters of theory, 
but are endeavoring to place them in a position 
whereby they may know for themselves, and actually 
experience the things of which we teach. 

Therefore we urge upon you not to merely rest con- 
tent with reading this lesson, but, instead, to study and 
meditate upon the teachings mentioned under the head 
of "Mental Drill," until the distinctions stand out 
clearly in your mind, and until you not only believe 
them to be true, but actually are conscious of the "I" 
and its Mental Tools. Have patience and perse- 
verance. The task may be difficult, but the reward is 
great. To become conscious of the greatness, majesty, 
strength and power of your real being is worth years 
of hard study. Do you not think so? Then study 
and practice hopefully, diligently and earnestly. 

Peace be with you. 



46 RAJA YOGA. 

MANTRAMS (AFFIRMATIONS) 
FOR THE SECOND LESSON. 

"I" am an entity — my mind is my instrument of ex- 
pression. 

"I" exist independent of my mind, and am not de- 
pendent upon it for existence or being. 

"I" am Master of my mind, not its slave. 

"I" can set aside my sensations, emotions, passions, 
desires, intellectual faculties, and all the rest of my 
mental collection of tools, as "not I" things — and still 
there remains something — and that something is "I," 
which cannot be set aside by me, for it is my very self ; 
my only self ; my real self — "I." That which remains 
after all that may be set aside is set aside is the "I" — 
Myself — eternal, constant, unchangeable. 




THE THIRD LESSON. 

The Expansion of The Self. 

In the first two lessons of this course we have en- 
deavored to bring to the candidate a reaHzation in 
consciousness of the reahty of the "I," and to enable 
him to distinguish between the Self and its sheaths, 
physical and mental. In the present lesson we will 
call his attention to the relationship of the "I" to the 
Universal "I," and will endeavor to give him an idea 
of a greater, grander Self, transcending personaHty 
and the little self that we are so apt to regard as 
the "I." 

The keynote of this lesson will be "The Oneness of 
All," and all of its teachings will be directed to awak- 
ening a realization in consciousness of that great 
truth. But we wish to impress upon the mind of the 
Candidate that we are not teaching him that he is the 
Absolute. We are not teaching the "I Am God" be- 
lief, which we consider to be erroneous and mislead- 
ing, and a perversion of the original Yogi teachings. 
This false teaching has taken possession of many of 
the Hindu teachers and people, and with its accom- 
panying teaching of "Maya" or the complete illusion 
or non-existence of the Universe, has reduced mil- 
lions of people to a passive, negative mental condi- 
tion which undoubtedly is retarding their progress. 
Not only in India is this true, but the same facts may 
be observed among the pupils of the Western teach- 
ers who have embraced this negative side of the 

47 



48 RAJA YOGA. 

Oriental Philosophy. Such people confound the "Ab- 
solute" and "Relative" aspects of the One, and, being 
unable to reconcile the facts of Life and the Universe 
with their theories of "I Am God," they are driven to 
the desperate expedient of boldly denying the Uni- 
verse, and declaring it to be all "an illusion" or 
"Maya." 

You will have no trouble in distinguishing the pu- 
pils of the teachers holding this view. They will be 
found to exhibit the most negative mental condition — 
a natural result of absorbing the constant suggestion 
of "nothingness" — the gospel of negation. In marked 
contrast to the mental condition of the students, how- 
ever, will be observed the mental attitude of the teach- 
ers, who are almost uniformly examples of vital, posi- 
tive, mental force, capable of hurling their te&ching 
into the minds of the pupils — of driving in their state- 
ments by the force of an awakened Will. The teach- 
er, as a rule, has awakened to a sense of the "I" con- 
sciousness, and really develops the same by his "I Am 
God" attitude, because by holding this mental attitude 
he is enabled to throw off the influence of the sheaths 
of the lower mental principles, and the light of the 
Self shows forth fiercely and strongly, sometimes to 
such an extent that it fairly scorches the mentality of 
the less advanced pupil. But, notwithstanding this 
awakened "I" consciousness, the teacher is handi- 
capped by his intellectual misconception and befog- 
ging metaphysics, and is unable to impart the **!" 
consciousness to his pupils, and, instead of raising 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 49 

them up to shine with equal splendor with himself, he 
really forces them into a shadow by reason of his 
teachings. 

Our students, of course, will understand that the 
above is not written in the spirit of carping criticism 
or fault-finding. We hold no such mental attitude, 
and indeed could not if we remain true to our concep- 
tion of Truth. We are mentioning these matters sim- 
ply that the student may avoid this "I Am God" pit- 
fall which awaits the Candidate just as he has well 
started on the Path. It would not be such a serious 
matter if it were merely a question of faulty meta- 
physics, for that would straighten itself out in time. 
But it is far, more serious than this, for t'ne teaching 
inevitably leads to the accompanying teaching that all 
is Illusion or Maya, and that Life is but a dream — a 
false thing — a lie — a nightmare; that the journey 
along the Path is but an illusion; that everything is 
"nothing" ; that there is no soul ; that You are God in 
disguise, and that He is fooling Himself in making 
believe that He is You ; that Life is but a Divine mas- 
querade or sleight-of-hand performance ; that You are 
God, but that You (God) are fooling Yourself (God) 
in order to amuse Yourself (God). Is not this horri- 
ble? And yet it shows to what lengths the human 
mind will go before it will part with some pet theory 
of metaphysics with which it has been hypnotized. Do 
you think that we have overdrawn the picture? Then 
read some of the teachings of these schools of the 
Oriental Philosophy, or listen to some of the more 



50 RAJA YOGA. 

radical of the Western teaehers preaching; this philos- 
ophy. The majority of the latter lack the courage of 
the Hindu teachers in carrying their theories to a logi- 
cal conclusion, and, consequently they veil their teach- 
ings with metaphysical subtlety. But a few of them 
are more courageous, and come out into the open and 
preach their doctrine in full. 

Some of the modern Western teachers of this phi- 
losophy explain matters by saying that "God is mas- 
querading as different forms of life, including Man, 
in order that he may gain the experience resulting 
therefrom, for although He has Infinite and Absolute 
Wisdom and Knowledge, he lacks the experience that 
comes only from actually living the life of the lowly 
forms, and therefore He descends thus in order to 
gain the needed experience." Can you imagine the 
Absolute, possessed of all possible Knowledge and 
Wisdom, feeling the need of such petty "experience," 
and living the life of the lowly forms (including Man) 
in order "to gain experience?" To what depths do 
these vain theories of Man drive us ? Another leading 
Western teacher, who has absorbed the teaching of 
certain branches of the Oriental Philosophy, and who 
possesses the courage of his convictions, boldly an- 
nounces that "You, yourself, are the totality of being, 
and with your mind alone create, preserve and destroy 
the universe, which is your own mental product." 
And again the last mentioned teacher states: "the en- 
tire universe is a bagatelle illustration of your own 
creative power, which you are now exhibiting for 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 51 

your own inspection." "By their fruits shall you 
know them," is a safe rule to apply to all teachings. 
The philosophy that teaches that the Universe is an 
illusion perpetrated by you (God) to amuse, entertain 
or fool yourself (God), can have but one result, and 
that is the conclusion that "everything is nothing," 
and all that is necessary to do is to sit down, fold your 
hands and enjoy the Divine exhibition of legerdemain 
that you are performing for your own entertainment, 
and then, when the show is over, return to your state 
of conscious Godhood and recall with smiles the pleas- 
ant memories of the "conjure show" that you created 
to fool yourself with during several billions of ages. 
That is what it amounts to, and the result is that those 
accepting this philosophy thrust upon them by force- 
ful teachers, and knowing in their hearts that they are 
not God, but absorbing the suggestions of "nothing- 
ness," are driven into a state of mental apathy and 
negativeness, the soul sinking into a stupor from which 
it may not be roused for a long period of time. 

We wish you to avoid confounding our teaching 
with this just mentioned. We wish to teach you that 
You are a real Being — not God Himself, but a mani- 
festation of Him who is the Absolute. You are a 
Child of the Absolute, if you prefer the term, possessed 
of the Divine Heritage, and whose mission it is to un- 
fold qualities which are your inheritances from your 
Parent. Do not make the great mistake of confound- 
ing the Relative with the Absolute. Avoid this pitfall 
into which so many have fallen. Do not allow your- 



52 RAJA YOGA: 

self to fall into the "Slough of Despond," and wallow 
in the mud of "nothingness," and to see no reality ex- 
cept in the person of some forceful teacher who takes 
the place of the Absolute in your mind. But raise 
your head and assert your Divine Parentage, and 
your Heritage from the Absolute, and step out boldly 
on the Path, asserting the "I." 

(We must refer the Candidate back to our "Ad- 
vanced Course," for our teachings regarding the Ab- 
solute and the Relative. The last three lessons of that 
course will throw light upon what we have just said. 
To repeat the teaching at this point would be to use 
space which is needed for the lesson before us.) 

And yet, while the "I" is not God, the Absolute, it 
is infinitely greater than we have imagined it to be be- 
fore the light dawned upon us. It extends itself far 
beyond what we had conceived to be its limits. It 
touches the Universe at all its points, and is in the 
closest union with all of Life. It is in the closest 
touch with all that has emanated from the Absolute — 
all the world of Relativity. And while it faces the 
Relative Universe, it has its roots in the Absolute, 
and draws nourishment therefrom, just as does the 
babe in the womb obtain nourishment from the moth- 
er. It is verily a manifestation of God, and God's 
very essence is in it. Surely this is almost as "high" 
a statement as the "I Am God" of the teachers just 
mentioned, — and yet how different. Let us consider 
the teaching in detail in this lesson, and in portions of 
others to follow. 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 53 

Let us begin with a consideration of the instruments 
of the Ego, and the material with which and through 
which the Ego works. Let us reaHze that the physical 
body of man is identical in substance with all other 
forms of matter, and that its atoms are continually 
changing and being replaced, the material being drawn 
from the great storehouse of matter, and that there 
is a Oneness of matter underlying all apparent differ- 
ences of form and substance. And then let us realize 
that the vital energy or Prana that man uses in his life 
work is but a portion of that great universal energy 
which permeates everything and everywhere, the por- 
tion being used by us at any particular moment being 
drawn from the universal supply, and again passing 
out from us into the great ocean of force or energy. 
And then let us realize that even the mind, which is so 
close to the real Self that it is often mistaken for it, — 
even that wonderful thing Thought — is but a portion 
of the Universal Mind, the highest emanation of the 
Absolute beneath the plane of Spirit, and that the 
Mind — substance or Chitta that we are using this mo- 
ment, is not ours separately and distinctly, but is sim- 
ply a portion from the great universal supply, which 
is constant and unchangeable. Let us then realize 
that even this thing that we feel pulsing within us — 
that which is so closely bound up with the Spirit as to 
be almost inseparable from it — that which we call 
Life — is but a bit of that Great Life Principle that 
prevades the Universe, and which cannot be added 
to, nor subtracted from. When we have realized these 



54 RAJA YOGA. 

things, and have begun to feel our relation (in these 
particulars) to the One Great Emanation of the Ab- 
solute, then we may begin to grasp the idea of the 
Oneness of Spirit, and the relation of the "I" to every 
other "I," and the merging of the Self into the one 
great Self, which is not the extinction of Individuality, 
as some have supposed, but the enlargement and ex- 
tension of the Individual Consciousness until it takes 
in the Whole. 

In Lessons X and XI, of the "Advanced Course" 
we called your attention to the Yogi teachings con- 
cerning Akasa or Matter, and showed you that all 
forms of what we know as Matter are but different 
forms of manifestation of the principle called Akasa, 
or as the Western scientists call it, "Ether." This 
Ether or Akasa is the finest, thinnest and most ten- 
uous form of Matter, in fact it is Matter in its ulti- 
mate or fundamental form, the different forms of 
what we call Matter being but manifestations of this 
Akasa or Ether, the apparent difference resulting from 
different rates of vibration, etc. We mention this fact 
here merely to bring clearly before your mind the fact 
of the Universality of Matter, to the end that you may 
realize that each and every particle of your physical 
body is but a portion of this great principle of th^ 
Universe, fresh from the great store-house, and just 
about returning to it again, for the atoms of the body 
are constantly changing. That which appears as your 
flesh to-day, may have been part of a plant a few days 
before, and may be part of some other living thing a 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 55 

few days hence. Constant ;change is going on, and 
what is yours to-day was someone's else yesterday, 
and still another's to-morrow. You do not own one 
atom of matter personally, it is all a part of the com- 
mon supply, the stream flowing through you and 
through all Life, on and on forever. 

And so it is with the Vital Energy that you are 
using every moment of your life. You are constantly 
drawing upon the great Universal supply of Prana, 
then using what is given you, allowing the force to 
pass on to assume some other form. It is the property 
of all, and all you can do is to use what you need, and 
allow it to pass on. There is but one Force or Energy, 
and that is to be found everywhere at all times. 

And even the great principle. Mind-substance, is 
under the same law. It is hard for us to realize this. 
We are so apt to think of our mental operations as dis- 
tinctively our own — something that belongs to us per- 
sonally — that it is difficult for us to realize that Mind- 
substance is a Universal principle just as Matter or 
Energy, and that we are but drawing upon the Uni- 
versal supply in our mental operations. And more 
than this, the particular portion of Mind-substance 
that we are using, although separated from the Mind- 
substance used by other individuals by a thin wall of 
the very finest kind of Matter, is really in touch with 
the other apparently separated minds, and with the 
Universal Mind of which it forms a part. Just as is 
the Matter of which our physical bodies are com- 
posed really in touch with all Matter; and just as is 



56 RAJA YOGA. 

the Vital Force used by us really in touch with all 
Energy ; so is our Mind-substance really in touch with 
all Mind-substance. It is as if the Ego in its progress 
were moving through great oceans of Matter, Energy, 
or Mind-substance, making use of that of each which 
it needed and which immediately surrounded it, and 
leaving each behind as it moved on through the great 
volume of the ocean. This illustration is clumsy, but 
it may bring to your consciousness a realization that 
the Ego is the only thing that is really Yours, un- 
changeable and unaltered, and that all the rest is 
merely that portion of the Universal supply that you 
draw to yourself for the wants of the moment. It 
may also bring more clearly before your mind the 
great Unity of things — may enable you to see things 
as a Whole, rather than as separated parts. Remem- 
ber, You — the "I" — are the only Real thing about and 
around you — all that has permanence — and Matter, 
Force and even Mind-substance, are but your instru- 
ments for use and expression. There are great oceans 
of each surrounding the "1" as it moves along. 

It is well for you also to bear in mind the Universal- 
ity of Life. All of the Universe is alive, vibrating and 
pulsating with life and energy and motion. There is 
nothing dead in the Universe. Life is everywhere, 
and always accompanied by intelligence. There is no 
such thing as a dead, unintelligent Universe. Instead 
of being atoms of Life floating in a sea of death, we 
are atoms of Life surrounded by an ocean of Life, 
pulsating, moving, thinking, living. Every atom of 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 57 

what we call Matter is alive. It has energy or force 
with it, and is always accompanied by intelligence and 
life. Look around us as we will — at the animal world 
— at the plant world — yes, even at the world of miner- 
als, and we see life, life, life — all alive and having in- 
telligence. When we are able to bring this conception 
into the realm of actual consciousness — when we are 
able not only to intellectually accept this fact, but to 
even go still further and feel and be conscious of this 
Universal Life on all sides, then are we well on the 
road to attaining the Cosmic Consciousness. 

But all these things are but steps leading up to the 
realization of the Oneness in Spirit, on the part of the 
Individual. Gradually there dawns upon him the real- 
ization that there is a Unity in the manifestation of 
Spirit from the Absolute — a unity with itself, and a 
Union with the Absolute. All this manifestation of 
Spirit on the part of the Absolute — all this begetting 
of Divine Children — was in the nature of a single act 
rather than as a series of acts, if we may be permitted 
to speak of the manifestation as an act. Each Ego 
is a Centre of Consciousness in this great ocean of 
Spirit — each is a Real Self, apparently separate from 
the others and from its source, but the separation is 
only apparent in both cases, for there is the closest 
bond of union between the Egos of the Universe of 
Universes — each is knit to the other in the closest 
bond of union, and each is still attached to the Abso- 
lute by spiritual filaments, if we may use the term. In 
time we shall grow more conscious of this mutual re- 



58 RAJA YOGA. 

lationship, as the sheaths are outgrown and cast aside, 
and in the end we will be withdrawn into the Abso- 
lute — shall return to the Mansion of the Father. 

It is of the highest importance to the developing 
soul to unfold into a realization of this relationship 
and unity, for when this conception is once fully es- 
tablished the soul is enabled to rise above certain of 
the low.er planes, and is free from the operation of 
certain laivs that bind the undeveloped soul. There- 
fore the Yogi teachers are constantly leading the Can- 
didates toward this goal. First by this path, and then 
by that one, giving them different glimpses of the de- 
sired point, until finally the student finds a path best 
fitted for his feet, and he moves along straight to the 
mark, and throwing aside the confining bonds that 
have proved so irksome, he cries aloud for joy at his 
new found Freedom. 

The following exercises and Mental Drills are in- 
tended to aid the Candidate in his work of growing 
into a realization of his relationship with the Whole of 
Life and Being. 

MENTAL DRILL. 

( I ) Read over what we have said in the "Advanced 
Course" regarding the principle known as Matter. 
Realize that all Matter is One at the last — that the 
real underlying substance of Matter is Akasa or 
Ether, and that all the varying forms evident to our 
senses are but modifications and grosser forms of that 
underlying principle. Realize that by known chemi- 
cal processes all forms of Matter known to us, or 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 59 

rather all combinations resulting in "forms," may be 
resolved into their original elements, and that these 
elements are merely Akasa in different states of vibra- 
tion. Let the idea of the Oneness of the visible Uni- 
verse sink deeply into your mind, until it becomes 
fixed there. The erroneous conception of diversity in 
the material world must be replaced by the conscious- 
ness of Unity — Oneness, at the last, in spite of the ap- 
pearance of variety and manifold forms. You must 
grow to see behind the world of forms of Matter, and 
see the great principle of Matter (Akasa or Ether) 
back of, within, and under it all. You must grow to 
feel this, as well as to intellectually see it. 

(2) Meditate over the last mentioned truths, and 
then follow the matter still further. Read what we 
have said in the "Advanced Course" (Lesson XI) 
about the last analysis of Matter showing it fading 
away into Force or Energy until the dividing line is 
lost, and Matter merges into Energy or Force, show- 
ing them both to be but the same thing, Matter being 
a grosser form of Energy or Force. This idea should 
be impressed upon the understanding, in order that 
the complete edifice of the Knowing of the Oneness 
may be complete in all of its parts. 

(3) Then read in the "Advanced Lessons" about 
Energy or Force, in the oneness underlying its various 
manifestations. Consider how one form of Energy 
may be transformed into another, and so on around 
the circle, the one principle producing the entire 
chain of appearances. Realize that the energy within 



6o RAJA YOGA. 

you by which you move and act, is but one ©f the 
forms of this great Principle of Energy with which 
the Universe is filled, and that you may draw to you 
the required Energy from the great Universal supply. 
But above all endeavor to grasp the idea of the One- 
ness pervading the world of Energy or Force, or Mo- 
tion. See it in its entirety, rather than in its apparent 
separateness. These steps may appear somewhat te- 
dious and useless, but take our word for it, they are 
all helps in fitting the mind to grasp the idea of the 
Oneness of All. Each step is important, and renders 
the next higher one more easily attained. In this men- 
tal drill, it will be well to mentally picture the Uni- 
verse in perpetual motion — everything is in motion — 
all matter is moving and changing its forms, and man- 
ifesting the Energy within it. Suns and worlds rush 
through space, their particles (constantly changing and 
moving. Chemical composition and decomposition is 
constant and unceasing, everywhere the work of 
building up and breaking down is going on. New 
combinations of atoms and worlds are constantly be- 
ing formed and dissolved. And after considering this 
Oneness of the principle of Energy, reflect that 
through all these changes of form the Ego — the Real 
Self — YOU — stand unchanged and unharmed — Eter- 
nal, Invincible, Indestructible, Invulnerable, Real and 
Constant among this changing world of forms and 
force. You are above it all, and it revolves around 
and about you — Spirit. 

(4) Read what we have said in the "Advanced 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 6i 

Course" about Force or Energy, shading into Mind- 
substance which is its parent. Realize that Mind is 
back of all this great exhibition of Energy and Force 
that you have been considering. Then will you be 
ready to consider the Oneness of Mind. 

(5) Read what we have said in the "Advanced 
Lessons" about Mind-substance. Realize that there 
is a great world of Mind-substance, or an Universal 
Mind, which is at the disposal of the Ego. All 
Thought is the product of the Ego's use of this Mind- 
substance, its tool and instrument. Realize that this 
Ocean of Mind is entire and Whole, and that the Ego 
may draw freely from it. Realize that You have this 
great ocean of Mind at your command, when you un- 
fold sufficiently to use it. Realize that Mind is back 
of and underneath all of the world of form and names 
and action, and that in that sense : "All is Mind," al- 
though still higher in the scale than even Mind are 
You, the Real Self, the Ego, the Manifestation of the 
Absolute. 

(6) Realize your identity with and relationship to 
All of Life. Look around you at Life in all its forms, 
from the lowest to the highest, all being exhibitions of 
the great principle of Life in operation along differ- 
ent stages of The Path. Scorn not the humblest 
forms, but look behind the form and see the reality — 
Life. Feel yourself a part of the great Universal 
Life. Let your thought sink to the depths of the 
ocean, and realize your kinship with the Life back of 
the forms dwelling there. Do not confound the forms 



62 RAJA YOGA. 

(often hideous from your personal point of view) 
with the principle behind them. Look at the plant-life, 
and the animal life, and seek to see behind the veil of 
form into the real Life behind and underneath the 
form. Learn to feel your Life throbbing and thrill- 
ing with the Life Principle in these other forms, and 
in the forms of those of your own race. Gaze into the 
starry skies and see there the numerous suns and 
worlds, all peopled with life in some of its myriad 
forms, and feel your kinship to it. If you can grasp 
this thought and consciousness, you will find yourself 
at-one-ment with those whirling worlds,' and, instead 
of feeling small and insignificant by comparison, you 
will be conscious of an expansion of Self, until you 
feel that in those circling worlds is a part of yourself 
— that You are there also, while standing upon the 
Earth — that you are akin to all parts of the Universe 
— nay, more, that they are as much your home as is 
the spot upon which you are standing. You will find 
sweeping upon you a sense of consciousness that the 
Universe is your home — not merely a part of it, as 
you had previously thought. You will experience a 
sense of greatness, and broadness and grandness such 
as you have never dreamed of. You will begin to 
realize at least a part of your Divine inheritance, and 
to know indeed that you are a Child of the Infinite, 
the very essence of your Divine Parent being in the 
fibres of your being. At such times of realization one 
becomes conscious of what lies before the soul in its 
upward path, and how small the greatest prizes that 



1 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 63 

Earth has to offer are when compared to some of 
these things before the soul, as seen by the eyes of the 
Spiritual Mind in moments of clear vision. 

You must not dispute with these visions of the 
greatness of the soul, but must treat them hospitably, 
for they are your very own, coming to you from the 
regions of your Spiritual Mind which are unfolding 
into consciousness. 

(7) The highest step in this dawning consciousness 
of the Oneness of All, is the one in which is realized 
that there is but One Reality, and at the same time 
the sense of consciousness that the "I" is in that Real- 
ity. It is most difficult to express this thought in 
words for it is something that must be felt, rather 
than seen by the Intellect. When the Soul realizes 
that the Spirit within it is, at the last, the only real 
part of it, and that the Absolute and its manifestation 
as Spirit is the only real thing in the Universe, a great 
step has been taken. But there is still one higher step 
to be taken before the full sense of the Oneness and 
Reality comes to us. That step is the one in which we 
realize the Identity of the "I" with the great "I" of 
the Universe. The mystery of the manifestation of 
the Absolute in the form of the Spirit, is veiled from 
us — the mind confesses its inability to penetrate be- 
hind the veil shielding the Absolute from view, al- 
though it will give us a report of its being conscious 
of the presence of the Absolute just at the edge of the 
boundary line. But the highest region of the Spirit- 
ual Mind, when explored by the advanced souls who 



64 RAJA YOGA. 

are well along the Path, reports that it sees beyond 
the apparent separation of Spirit from Spirit, and 
realizes that there is but one Reality of Spirit, and 
that all the "I" 's are really but different views of that 
One — Centres of Consciousness upon the surface of 
the One Great "I," the Centre of which is the Abso- 
lute Itself. This certainly penetrates the whole re- 
gion of the Spiritual Mind, and gives us all the mes- 
sage of Oneness of the Spirit, just as the Intellect sat- 
isfies us with its message of the Oneness of Matter, 
Energy, and Mind. The idea of Oneness permeates 
all planes of Life. 

The sense of Reality of the "I" that is apparent 
to You in the moments of your clearest mental vision, 
is really the reflection of the sense of ReaHty under- 
lying the Whole — it is the consciousness of the Whole, 
manifesting through your point or Centre of Con- 
sciousness. The advanced student or Initiate finds 
his consciousness gradually enlarging until it realizes 
its identity with the Whole. He realizes that under 
all the forms and names of the visible world, there 
is to be found One Life — One Force — One Substance 
— One Existence — One Reality — ONE. And, instead 
of his experiencing any sense of the loss of identity 
or individuality, he becomes conscious of an enlarge- 
ment of an expansion of individuality or identity — in- 
stead of feeling himself absorbed in the Whole, he 
feels that he is spreading out and embracing the 
Whole. This is most hard to express in words, for 
there are no words to fit the conception, and all that 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 65 

we can hope to do is to start into motion, by means 
of our words, the vibrations that will find a response 
in the minds of those who read the words, to the end 
that they will experience the consciousness which 
will bring its own understanding. This consciousness 
cannot be transmitted by words proceeding from the 
Intellect, but vibrations may be set up that will pre- 
pare the mind to receive the message from its own 
higher planes. 

Even in the early stages of this dawning conscious- 
ness, one is enabled to identify the real part of him- 
self with the real part of all the other forms of life 
that pass before his notice. In every other man — in 
every animal — in every plant — in every mineral — he 
sees behind the sheath and form of appearance, an evi- 
dence of the presence of the Spirit which is akin to his 
own Spirit — yea, more than akin, for the two are 
One. He sees Himself in all forms of life, in all time 
in all places. He realizes that the Real Self is every- 
where present and everlasting, and that the Life with- 
in himself is also within all the Universe — in every- 
thing, for there is nothing dead in the Universe, and 
all Life, in all of its varying phases, is simply the One 
Life, held, used and enjoyed in common by all. Each 
Ego is a Centre of Consciousness in this great ocean 
of Life, and while apparently separate and distinct, is 
yet really in touch with the Whole, and with every ap- 
parent part. 

It is not our intention, in this lesson, to go into the 
details of this great mystery of Life, or to recite the 



66 RAJA YOGA. 

comparatiTely little of the Truth that the most ad- 
vanced teachers and Masters have handed down. 
This is not the place for it — it belongs to the subject 
of Gnani Yoga rather than to Raja Yoga — and we 
touch upon it here, not for the purpose of trying to 
explain the scientific side of it to you, but merely in 
order that your minds may be led to take up the idea 
and gradually manifest it in conscious realization. 
There is quite a difference between the scientific, intel- 
lectual teaching of Gnani Yoga, whereby the meta- 
physical and scientific sides of the Yogi teachings are 
presented to the minds of the students, in a logical, 
scientific manner, and the methods of Raja Yoga, in 
which the Candidate is led by degrees to a conscious- 
ness (outside of mere intellectual belief) of his real 
nature and powers. We are following the latter plan, 
for this course is a Course in Raja Yoga. We are 
aiming to present the matter to the mind in such a 
manner that it may prepare the way for the dawning 
consciousness, by brushing away the preconceived no- 
tions and prejudices, and allowing a clean entrance for 
the new conception. Much that we have said in this 
lesson may appear, on the one hand, like useless repe- 
tition, and, on the other hand, like an incomplete pre- 
sentation of the scientific side of the Yogi teachings. 
But it will be found, in time, that the effect has been 
that the mind of the student has undergone a change 
from the absorbing of the idea of the Oneness of Life, 
and the Expansion of the Self. The Candidate is 
urged not to be in too much of a hurry. Development 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 67 

must not be forced. Read what we have written, and 
practice the Mental Drills we have given, even if they 
may appear trifling and childish to some of you — we 
know what they will do for you, and you will agree 
with us in time. Make haste slowly. You will find 
that the mind will work out the matter, even though 
you be engaged in your ordinary work, and have for- 
gotten the subject for the time. The greater portion 
of mental work is done in this way, while you are busy 
with something else, or even asleep, for the sub-con- 
scious portion of the mind works along the lines 
pointed out for it, and performs its task. 

As we have said, the purpose of this lesson is to 
bring you in the way of the unfoldment of conscious- 
ness, rather than to teach you the details of the scien- 
tific side of the Yogi teachings. Development is the 
keynote of Raja Yoga. And the reason that we wish 
to develop this sense of the Reality of the "I," and the 
Expansion of the Self, at this place is that thereby 
you may assert your Mastery over Matter, Energy 
and Mind. Before you may mount your throne as 
King, you must fully realize in consciousness that 
you are the Reality in this world of appearances. You 
must realize that you — the real You — are not only ex- 
istent, and real, but that you are in touch with all else 
that is real, and that the roots of your being are 
grounded in the Absolute itself. You must realize 
that instead of being a separate atom of Reality, iso- 
lated and fixed in a narrow space, you are a Centre of 
Consciousness in the Whole of Reality, and that the 



68 RAJA YOGA. 

Universe of Universes is your home — that your Cen- 
tre of Consciousness might be moved on to a pointf 
triUions of miles from the Earth (which distance 
would be as nothing in Space) and still you — the 
awakened soul — would be just as much at home there 
as here — that even while you are here, your influence 
extends far out into space. Your real state, which 
will be revealed to you, gradually, throughout the 
ages, is so great and grand^ that your mind in its pres- 
ent state of development cannot grasp even the faint 
reflection of that glory. 

We wish you to try to form at least a faint idea of 
your Real State of Being, in order that you may con- 
trol the lower principles by the force of your awak- 
ened Will, which Will depends upon your degree of 
consciousness of the Real Self. 

As man grows in understanding and consciousness 
of the Real Self, so does his ability to use his Will 
grow. Will is the attribute of the Real Self. It is 
well that this great realization of the Real Self brings 
with it Love for all of Life, and Kindness, for, were 
it not so, the Will that comes to him who grows into 
a realization of his real being could be used to the 
great hurt of those of the race who had not progressed 
so far (their relative hurt, we mean, for in the end, 
and at the last, no soul is ever really hurt). But the 
dawning power brings with it greater Love and Kind- 
ness, and the higher the soul mounts the more is it 
filled with the higher ideals and the more does it throw 
from it the lower animal attributes. It is true that 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 69 

some- souls growing into a consciousness of their real 
nature, without an understanding of what it all means, 
may commit the error of using the awakened Will for 
selfish ends, as may be seen in the cases of the Black 
Magicians spoken of in the occult writings, and also 
in the cases of well known characters in history and 
in modern life, who manifest an enormous Will which 
they misuse. All of this class of people of great Will 
have stumbled or grown blindly into a consciousness 
(or partial consciousness) of the real nature, but lack 
the restraining influence of the higher teachings. But 
such misuse of the Will brings pain and unrest to the 
user, and he is eventually driven into the right road. 
We do not expect our students to grasp fully this 
idea of the Expansion of Self, Even the highest grasp 
it only partially. But until you get a glimmering of 
the consciousness you will not be able to progress far 
on the path of Raja Yoga. You must understand 
what you are, before you are able to use the power 
that lies dormant within you. You must realize that 
you are the Master, before you can claim the powers 
of the Master, and expect to have your commands 
obeyed. So bear patiently with us, your Teachers, 
while we set before you the lessons to be learned — 
the tasks to be performed. The road is long, and is 
rough in places — the feet may become tired and 
bruised, but the reward is great, and there are resting 
places along the path. Be not discouraged if your 
progress seem slow, for the soul must unfold natur- 
ally as does the flower, without haste, without force. 



70 RAJA YOGA. 

And be not dismayed nor affrighted if you occaaion- 
ally catch a glimpse of your higher self. As "M. C." 
says, in her notes on "Light on the Path" (see "Ad- 
vanced Course," page 95) : "To have seen thy soul 
in its bloom, is to have obtained a momentary glimpse 
in thyself of the transfiguration which shall eventual- 
ly make thee more than man; to recognize, is to 
achieve the great task of gazing upon the blazing 
light without dropping the eyes, and not falling back 
in terror as though before some ghastly phantom. 
This happens to some, and so, when the victory is all 
but won, it is lost." 

Peace be wnth thee. 



EXPANSION OF THE SELF. 71 

MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION). 

FOR THE THIRD LESSON. 

There is but one ultimate form of Matter ; one ulti- 
mate form of Energy; one ultimate form of Mind. 
Matter proceeds from Energy, .and Energy from 
Mind, and all are an emanation of the Absolute, three- 
fold in appearance but One in substance. There is 
but One Life, and that permeates the Universe, mani- 
festing in various forms, but being, at the last, but 
One. My body is one with Universal Matter; My 
energy and vital force is one with the Universal En- 
ergy; My Mind is one with the Universal Mind; My 
Life is one with the Universal Life. The Absolute has 
expressed and manifested itself in Spirit, which is the 
real "I" overshadowing and embracing all the appar- 
ently separate "I"s. 'T" feel my identity with Spirit 
and realize the Oneness of All Reality. I feel my 
unity with all Spirit, and my Union (through Spirit) 
with the Absolute. I realize that "I" am an Expres- 
sion and Manifestation of the Absolute, and that its 
very essence is within me. I am filled with Divine 
Love. I am filled with Divine Power. I am filled 
with Divine Wisdom. I am conscious of identity in 
spirit, in substance; and in nature; with the One 
Reality. 



THE FOURTH LESSON. 

Mental Control. 

In our first three lessons of this series, we have en- 
deavored to bring into realization within your mind 
(i) the consciousness of the "I"; its independence 
from the body; its immortality; its invincibility and 
invulnerability; (2) the superiority of the "I" over 
the mind, as well as over the body; the fact that the 
mind is not the "I," but is merely an instrument for 
the expression of the "I"; the fact that the "I" is 
master of the mind, as well as of the body; that the 
"I" is behind all thought; that the "I" can set aside 
for consideration the sensations, emotions, passions, 
desires, and the rest of the mental phenomena, and 
still realize that it, the "I," is apart from these mental 
manifestations, and remains unchanged, real and 
fully existent; that the "I" can set aside any and all 
of its mental tools and instruments, as "not I" things, 
and still consciously realize that after so setting them 
aside there remains something — itself — the "I" which 
;cannot be set aside or taken from ; that the "I" is the 
master of the mind, and not its slave; (3) that the 
"I" is a much greater thing than the little personal 
"I" we have been considering it to be; that the "I" 
is a part of that great One Reality which pervades all 
the Universe ; that it is connected with all other forms 
of life by countless ties, mental and spiritual fila- 
ments and relations; that the "I" is a Centre of Con- 

78 



74 RAJA YOGA. 

sciousness in that great One Reality or Spirit, which is 
behind and back of all Life and Existence, the Centre 
of which Reality or Existence, is the Absolute or 
God ; that the sense of Reality that is inherent in the 
"I," is really the reflection of the sense of Reality in- 
herent in the Whole — the Great "I" of the Universe. 

The underlying principle of these three lessons is 
the Reality of the "I," in itself, over and above all 
Matter, Force, or Mind — positive to all of them, just 
as they are positive or negative to each other — and 
negative only to the Centre of the One — the Abso- 
lute itself. And this is the position for the Candi- 
date or Initiate to take: "I am positive to Mind, En- 
ergy, and Matter, and control them all — I am negative 
only to the Absolute, which is the Centre of Being, of 
which Being I Am. And, as I assert my mastery 
over Mind, Energy, and Matter, and exercise my 
Will over them, so do I acknowledge my subordina- 
tion to the Absolute, and gladly open my soul to the 
inflow of the Divine Will, and partake of its Power, 
Strength, and Wisdom." 

In the present lesson, and those immediately fol- 
lowing it, we shall endeavor to assist the Candidate 
or Initiate in acquiring a mastery of the subordinate 
manifestations. Matter, Energy, and Mind. In order 
to acquire and assert this mastery, one must acquaint 
himself with the nature of the thing to be controlled. 

In our "Advanced Course" we have endeavored 
to explain to you the nature of the Three Great Man- 
ifestations, known as Chitta, or Mind-Substance; 



MENTAL CONTROL. 75 

Prana, or Energy; and Akasa, or the Principle of 
Matter. We also explained to you that the "I" of 
man is superior to these three, being what is known 
as Atmcm or Spirit. Matter, Energy, and Mind, as 
we have explained, are manifestations of the Abso- 
lute, and are relative things. The Yogi philosophy 
teaches that Matter is the grossest form of mani- 
fested substance, being below Energy and Mind, and 
consequently negative to, and subordinate to both. 
One stage higher than Matter, is Energy or Force, 
which is positive to, and has authority over, Matter 
(Matter being a still grosser form of substance), but 
which is negative to and subordinate to Mind, which 
is a still higher form of substance. Next in order 
comes the highest of the three — Mind — the finest 
form of substance, and which dominates both En- 
ergy and Matter, being positive to both. Mind, how- 
ever is negative and subordinate to the "I," which 
is Spirit, and obeys the orders of the latter when 
firmly and intelligently given. The 'T" itself is sub- 
ordinate only to the Absolute — ^the Centre of Being — 
the "I" being positive and dominant over the three- 
fold manifestation of Mind, Energy, and Matter. 

The "I," which for the sake of the illustration must 
be regarded as a separate thing (although it is really 
only a Centre of Consciousness in the great body of 
Spirit), finds itself surrounded by the triple-ocean of 
Mind, Energy and Matter, v/hich ocean extends into 
Infinity. The body is but a physical form through 
which flows an unending stream of matter, for, as you 



y^ RAJA YOGA. 

know the particles and atoms of the body are con- 
stantly changing ; being renewed ; replaced ; thrown 
off, and supplanted. One's body of a few years ago, 
or rather the particles composing that body, have 
passed off and now form new combinations in the 
world of matter. And one's body of to-day is pass- 
ing away and being replaced by new particles. And 
one's body of next year is now occupying some other 
portion of space, and its particles are now parts of 
countless other combinations, from which space and 
combinations they will later come to combine and 
form the body of next year. There is nothing per- 
manent about the body — even the particles of the 
bones are being constantly replaced by others. And 
so it is with the Vital Energy, Force, or Strength of 
the body (including that of the brain). It is con- 
stantly being used up, and expended, a fresh supply 
taking its place. And even the Mind of the person 
is changeable, and the Mind-substance or Chitta, is 
being used up and replenished, the new supply com- 
ing from the great Ocean of Mind, into which the dis- 
carded portion slips, just as is the case with the mat- 
ter and energy. 

While the majority of our students, who are more 
or less familiar with the current material scientific 
conceptions, will readily accept the above idea of the 
ocean of Matter, and Energy, and the fact that there 
is a continual using up and replenishing of one's 
store of both, they may have more or less trouble in 
accepting the idea that Mind is a substance or prin- 



MENTAL CONTROL. 77 

ciple amenable to the same general laws as are the 
other two manifestations, or attributes of substance. 
One is so apt to think of his Mind as "himself" — the 
"I." Notwithstanding the fact that in our Second 
Lesson of this series we showed you that the "V is 
superior to the mental states, and that it can set them 
aside and regard and consider them as "not-I" things, 
yet the force of the habit of thought is very strong, 
and it may take some of you considerable time before 
you "get into the way" of realizing that your Mind 
is "something that you use," instead of being You — 
yourself. And yet, you must persevere in attaining 
this realization, for in the degree that you realize 
your dominance over your mind, so will be your con- 
trol of it, and its amenability to that control. And, 
as is the degree of that dominance and control, so will 
be the character, grade and extent of the work that 
your Mind will do for you. So you see: Realisation 
brings Control — and Control brings results. This 
statement lies at the base of the science of Raja Yoga. 
And many of its first exercises are designed to ac- 
quaint the student with that realization, and to de- 
velop the realization and control by habit and prac- 
tice. 

The Yogi Philosophy teaches that instead of Mind 
being the "I," it is the thing through and by means 
of which the "I" thinks, at least so far as is con- 
cerned the knowledge concerning the phenomenal or 
outward Universe — that is the Universe of Name and 
Form. There is a higher Knowledge locked up in 



78 RAJA YOGA. 

the innermost part of the "I," that far transcends any 
information that it may receive about or from the 
outer world, but that is not before us for considera- 
tion at this time, and we maust concern ourselves with 
the "thinking" about the world of things." 

Mind-substance in Sanscrit is called "Chitta," and 
a wave in the Chitta (which wave is the combination 
of Mind and Energy) is called "Vritta," which is 
akin to what we call a "thought." In other words it 
is "mind in action," whereas Chitta is "mind in re- 
pose." Vritta, when literally translated means "a 
whirlpool or eddy in the mind," which is exactly what 
a thought really is. 

But we must call the attention of the student, at 
this point, to the fact that the word "Mind" is used 
in two ways by the Yogis and other occultists, and the 
student is directed to form a clear conception of each 
meaning, in order to avoid confusion, and that he 
may more clearly perceive the two aspects of the 
things which the word is intended to express. In 
the first place the word "Mind" is used as synony- 
mous with Chitta, or Mind-substance, which is the 
Universal Mind Principle. From this Chitta, Mind- 
substance, or Mind, all the material of the millions of 
personal minds is obtained. The second meaning of 
the word "Mind" is that which we mean when we 
speak of the "mind" of anyone, thereby meaning the 
mental faculties of that particular person — that which 
distinguishes his mental personality from that of an- 
other. We have taught you that this "mind" in Man, 



MENTAL CONTROL. 79 

functions on three planes, and have called the respec- 
tive manifestations (i) the Instinctive Mind; (2) the 
Intellect; and (3) the Spiritual Mind. {See "Four- 
teen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy," etc.) These three 
mental planes, taken together, make up the "mind" 
of the person, or to be more exact they, clustered 
around the "V form the "soul" of the individual. The 
word "soul" is often used as synonymous with "spirit" 
but those who have followed us will distinguish the 
difference. The "soul" is the Ego surrounded by its 
mental principles, while the Spirit is the "soul of the 
soul"— the "I," or Real Self. 

The Science of Raja Yoga, to which this series of 
lessons is devoted, teaches, as its basic principle, the 
Control of the Mind. It holds that the first step to- 
ward Power consists in obtaining a control of one's 
own mind. It holds that the internal world must be 
conquered before the outer world is attacked. It 
holds that the "I" manifests itself in Will, and that 
that Will may be used to manipulate, guide, govern 
and direct the mind of its owner, as well as the phy- 
sical world. It aims to clear away all mental rub- 
bish, and encumbrances — ^to conduct a "mental house- 
cleaning," as it were, and to secure a clear, :clean, 
healthy mind. Then it proceeds to control that mind 
intelligently, and with effect, saving all waste-power, 
and by means of concentration bringing the Mind in 
full harmony with the Will, that it may be brought to 
a focus and its power greatly increased and its effi- 
ciency fully secured. Concentration and Will-power 



8o RAJA YOGA. 

are the means by which the Yogis obtain such won- 
derful results, and by which they manage and direct 
their vigorous, healthy minds, and master the ma- 
terial world, acting positively upon Energy and Mat- 
ter. This control extends to all planes of the Mind, 
and the Yogis not only control the Instinctive Mind, 
holding in subjection its lower qualities and making 
use of its other parts, but they also develop and en- 
large the field of their Intellect and obtain from it 
wonderful results. Even the Spiritual Mind is mas- 
tered, and aided in its unfoldment, and urged to pass 
down into the field of consciousness some of the won- 
derful secrets to be found within its area. By means 
of Raja Yoga many of the secrets of existence and 
Being — many of the Riddles of the Universe — are 
answered and solved. And by it the latent powers in- 
herent in the constitution of Man are unfolded and 
brought into action. Those highly advanced in the 
science are believed to have obtained such a won- 
derful degree of power and control over the forces 
of the universe, that they are as gods compared with 
the ordinary man. 

Raja Yoga teaches that not only may power of this 
kind be secured, but that a wonderful field of Knowl- 
edge is opened out through its practice. It holds 
that when the concentrated mind is focused upon 
thing or subject, the true nature and inner meaning, 
of, and concerning, that thing or subject will be 
brought to view. The concentrated mind passes 
through the object or subject just as the X-Ray passes 



MENTAL CONTROL. 8i 

through a block of wood, and the thing is seen by the 
"I" as it is — in truth — and not as it had appeared be- 
fore, imperfectly and erroneously. Not only may the 
outside world be thus explored, but the mental ray 
may be turned inward, and the secret places of the 
mind explored. When it is remembered that the bit 
of mind that each man possesses, is like a drop of the 
ocean which contains within its tiny compass all the 
elements that make up the ocean, and that to know 
perfectly the drop is to know perfectly the ocean, 
then we begin to see what such a power really means. 
Many in the Western world who have attained 
great results in the intellectual and scientific fields 
of endeavor, have developed these powers more or 
less unconsciously. Many great inventors are prac- 
tical Yogis, although they do not realize the source 
of their power. Anyone who is familiar with the per- 
sonal mental characteristics of Edison, will see that 
he follows some of the Raja Yoga methods, and that 
Concentration is one of his strongest weapons. And 
from all reports. Prof. Elmer Gates, of Washington, 
D. C, whose mind has unfolded many wonderful dis- 
coveries and inventions, is also a practical Yogi al- 
though he may repudiate the assertion vigorously, and 
may not have familiarized himself with the principles 
of this science, which he has "dropped into" uncon- 
consciously. Those who have reported upon Prof, 
Gates' methods, say that he fairly "digs out" the in- 
ventions and discoveries from his mind, after going 



82 RAJA YOGA. 

into seclusion and practicing concentration, and what 
is known as the Mental Vision. 

But we have given you enough of theory for one 
lesson, and must begin to give you directions whereby 
you may aid yourself in developing these latent pow- 
ers and unfolding these dormant energies. You will 
notice that in this series we first tell you something 
about the theory, and then proceed to give you "some- 
thing to do." This is the true Yogi method as fol- 
lowed and practiced by their best teachers. Too much 
theory is tiresome, and sings the mind to sleep, while 
too much exercise tires one, and does not give the in- 
quiring part of his mind the necessary food. To com- 
bine both in suitable proportions is the better plan, and 
one that we aim to follow. 

MENTAL DRILL AND EXERCISES. 

Before we can get the mind to do good work for 
us, we must first "tame" it, and bring it to obedience 
to the Will of the "I." The mind, as a rule, has been 
allowed to run wild, and follow its own sweet will 
and desires, without regard to anything else. Like a 
spoiled child or badly trained domestic animal, it gets 
into much trouble, and is of very little pleasure, com- 
fort or use. The minds of many of us are like menag- 
eries of wild animals, each pursuing the bent of its 
own nature, and going its own way. We have the 
whole menagerie within us — the tiger, the ape, the 
peacock, the ass, the goose, the sheep, the hyena, and 
all the rest. And we have been letting these animals 



MENTAL CONTROL. 83 

rule us. Even our Intellect is erratic, unstable, and 
like the quicksilver to which the ancient occultists 
compared it, shifting and uncertain. If you will look 
around you you will see that those men and women 
in the world who have really accomplished anything 
worth while have trained their minds to obedience. 
They have asserted the Will over their own minds, 
and learned Mastery and Power in that way. The 
average mind chafes at the restraint of the Will, and 
is like a frisky monkey that will not be "taught tricks." 
But taught it must be, if it wants to do good work. 
And teach it you must if you expect to get any use 
from it — if you expect to use it, instead of having it 
use you. 

And this is the first thing to be learned in Raja 
Yoga — this control of the mind. Those who had 
hoped for some royal road to mastery, may be disap- 
pointed, but there is only one way and that is to mas- 
ter and control the mind by the Will. Otherwise it 
will run away when you most need it. And so we 
shall give 3^ou some exercise designed to aid you 
in this direction. 

The first exercise in Raja Yoga is what is called 
Pratyahara or the art of making the mind introspec- 
tive or turned inward upon itself. It is the first step 
toward mental control. It aims to turn the mind from 
going outward, and gradually turning it inward upon 
itself or inner nature. The object is to gain control 
of it by the Will. The following exercises will aid 
in that direction : 



84 RAJA YOGA. 

Exercise I. 

(a) Place yourself in a comfortable position, and 
so far as possible free from outside disturbing in- 
fluences. Make no violent effort to control the 
mind, but rather allow it to run along for a 
while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage 
of the opportunity, and will jump around like an un- 
chained monkey at first, until it gradually slows down 
and looks to you for orders. It may take some time 
to tame down at first trial, but each time you try it 
will come around to you in shorter time. The Yogis 
spend much time in acquiring this mental peace and 
calm, and consider themselves well paid for it. 

(b) When the mind is well calmed down, and 
peaceful, fix the thought on the "I Am," as taught 
in our previous lessons. Picture the "I" as an entity 
independent of the body ; deathless ; invulnerable ; im- 
mortal ; real. Then think of it as independent of the 
body, and able to exist without its fleshly covering. 
Meditate upon this for a time, and then gradually 
direct the thought to the realization of the "I" as in- 
dependent and superior to the mind, and controlling 
same. Go over the general ideas of the first two les- 
sons, and endeavor to calmly reflect upon them and 
to see them in the "mind's eye." You will find that 
your mind is gradually becoming more and more 
peaceful and calm, and that the distracting thoughts 
of the outside world are farther and farther removed 
from you, 



MENTAL CONTROL. 85 

(c) Then let the mind pass on to a calm consid- 
eration of the Third Lesson, in which we have spoken 
of the Oneness of All, and the relationship of the 'T" 
to the One Life; Power; Intelligence; Being. You 
will find that you are acquiring a mental control and 
calm heretofore unknown to you. The exercises in 
the first three lessons will have prepared you for this. 

(d) The following is the most difficult of the va- 
riations or degrees of this exercise, but the ability to 
perform it will come gradually. The exercise consists 
in gradually shutting out all thought or impression 
of the outside world ; of the body ; and of the thoughts 
themselves, the student concentrating and meditating 
upon the word and idea "I AM," the idea being that 
he shall concentrate upon the idea of mere "being" or 
"existence," symbolized by the words "I Am." Not 
"I am this" or "I am that," or "I do this," or "I 
think that," but simply: "I AM." This exercise will 
focus the attention at the very centre of Being within 
oneself, and will gather in all the mental energies, in- 
stead of allowing them to be scattered upon outside 
things. A feeling of Peace, Strength, and Power 
will result, for the affirmation, and the thought back 
of it, is the most powerful and strongest that one may 
make, for it is a statement of Actual Being, and a 
turning of the thought inward to that truth. Let the 
mind first dwell upon the word "I," identifying it with 
the Self, and then let it pass on to the word "AM," 
which signifies Reality, and Being. Then combine 
the two with the meanings thereof, and the result is 



86 RAJA YOGA. 

a most powerful focusing of thought inward, and a 
most potent Statement of Being. 

It is v/ell to accompany the above exercises with a 
comfortable and easy physical attitude, so as to pre- 
vent the distraction of the attention by the body. In 
order to do this one should assume an easy attitude, 
and then relax every muscle, and take the tension 
from every nerve, until a perfect sense of ease, com- 
fort and relaxation is obtained. You should practice 
this until you have fully acquired it. It will be useful 
to you in many ways, besides rendering Concentra- 
tion and Meditation easier. It will act as a "rest 
cure" for tired body, nerves, and mind. 

Exercise II. 

The second step in Raja Yoga is what is known as 
Dharana, or Concentration. This is a most wonderful 
idea in the direction of focusing the mental forces, 
and may be cultivated to an almost incredible degree, 
but all this requires work, time, and patience. But 
the student will be well repaid for it. Concentration 
consists in the mind focusing upon a certain subject, 
or object, and being held there for a time. This, at 
first thought seems very easy, but a little practice will 
show how difficult it is to firmly fix the attention and 
hold it there. It will have a tendency to waver, and 
move to some other object or subject, and much prac- 
tice will be needed in order to hold it at the desired 
point. But practice will accomplish wonders, as one 
may see by observing people who have acquired this 



xMENTAL CONTROL. 87 

faculty, and who use it in their everyday life. But 
the following point should be remembered. Many^ 
persons have acquired the faculty of concentrating 
their attention, but have allowed it to become almost 
involuntary, and they become a slave to it, forgetting 
them.selves and everything else, and often neglecting 
necessary affairs. This is the ignorant way of concen- 
trating, and those addicted to it become slaves to their 
habits, instead of masters of their minds. They become 
day-dreamers, and absent-minded people, instead of 
Masters. They are to be pitied as much as those who 
cannot concentrate at all. The secret is in a mastery of 
the mind. The Yogis can concentrate at will, and 
completely bury themselves in the subject before 
them, and extract from it every item of interest, and 
can then pass the mind from the thing at will, the 
same control being used in both cases. They do not 
allow fits of abstraction, or "absent-mindedness" to 
come upon them, nor are they day-dreamers. On 
the contrary they are very wide awake individuals ; 
close observers ; clear thinkers ; correct reasoners. 
They are masters of their minds, not slaves to their 
moods. The ignorant concentrator buries himself in 
the object or subject, and allov/s it to master and 
absorb himself, while the trained Yogi thinker asserts 
the "I," and then directs his mind to concentrate upon 
the subject or object, keeping it well under control 
and in view all the time. Do you see the difference? 
Then heed the lesson. 



88 RAJA YOGA. 

The following exercises may be found useful in the 
first steps of Concentration: 

(a) Concentrate the attention upon some familiar 
object — a pencil, for instance. Hold the mind there, 
and consider the pencil to the exclusion of any other 
object. Consider its size; color; shape; kind of wood. 
Consider its uses, and purposes; its materials; the 
process of its manufacture, etc., etc., etc. In short, 
think as many things about the pencil as possible, 
allowing the mind to pursue any associated by-paths, 
such as a consideration of the graphite of which the 
"lead" is made ; the forest from which came the wood 
used in making the pencil ; the history of pencils, and 
other implements used for writing, etc. In short ex- 
haust the subject of "Pencils." In considering a sub- 
ject under concentration, the following plan of syn- 
opsis will be found useful. Think of the thing in 
question from the following view-points: 

(i) The thing itself. 

(2) The place from whence it came. 

(3) Its purpose or use. 

(4) Its associations. 

(5) Its probable end. 

Do not let the apparently trivial nature of the in- 
quiry discourage you, for the simplest form of mental 
training is useful, and will help to develop your Will 
and Concentration. It is akin to the process of de- 
veloping a physical muscle by some simple exercise, 
and in both cases one loses sight of the unimportance 



MENTAL CONTROL. 89 

of the exercise itself, in view of the end to be 
gained. 

(b) Concentrate the attention upon some part of 
the body — ^the hand for instance, and fixing your en- 
tire attention upon it, shut off or inhibit all sensation 
from the other parts of the body. A little practice 
will enable you to do this. In addition to the mental 
training, this exercise will stimulate the part of the 
body concentrated upon, for reasons that will appear 
in future lessons. Change the parts of the body con- 
centrated upon, and thus give the mind a variety of 
exercises, and the body the effect of a general stimu- 
lation. 

(c) These exercises may be extended indefinitely 
upon familiar objects about you. Remember always, 
that the thing in itself is of no importance, the whole 
idea being to train the mind to obey the Will, so that 
when you really wish to use the mental forces upon 
some important object, you may find them well trained 
and obedient. Do not be tempted to slight this part 
of the work because it is "dry" and uninteresting, for 
it leads up to things that are most interesting, and 
opens a door to a fascinating subject. 

(d) Practice focusing the attention upon some ab- 
stract subject — that is upon some subject of interest 
that may offer a field for mental exploration. Think 
about the subject in all its phases and branches, fol- 
lowing up one by-path, and then another, until you 
feel that you know all about the subject that your 
mind has acquired. You will be surprised to find 



90 RAJA YOGA. 

how much more you Imow about any one thing or 
subject than you had believed possible. In hidden 
corners of your mind you will find some useful or in- 
teresting information about the thing in question, and 
when you are through you will feel well posted upon 
it, and upon the things connected with it. This exer- 
cise will not only help to develop your intellectual 
powers, but will strengthen your memory, and broad- 
en your mind, and give you more confidence in your- 
self. And, in addition, you will have taken a valu- 
able exercise in Concentration or Dharana. 

The Importance of Concentration. 

Concentration is a focusing of the mind. And this 
focusing of the mind requires a focusing, or bringing 
to a center, of the Will. The mind is concentrated 
because the Will is focused upon the object. The 
mind flows into the mould made by the Will. The 
above exercises are designed not only to accustom the 
mind to the obedience and direction of the Will, but 
also tend to accustom the Will to command. We 
speak of strengthening the Will, when what we really 
mean is training the mind to obey, and accustoming 
the Will to command. Our Will is strong enough, 
but we do not realize it. The Will takes root in the 
very center of our being — in the "I," but our imper- 
fectly developed mind does not recognize this fact. 
We are like young elephants that do not recognize 
their own strength, but allow themselves to be mas- 
tered by puny drivers, whom they could brush aside 



MENTAL CONTROL. 91 

with a movement. The Will is back of all action — all 
doing — mental and physical. 

We shall have much to say touching the Will, in 
these lessons and the student should give the matter 
his careful attention. Let him look around him, and 
he will see that the great difference between the men 
who have stepped forward from the ranks, and those 
who remain huddled up in the crowd, consists in De- 
termination and Will. As Buxton has well said: 
"The longer I live, the more certain I am that the 
great difference between men, the feeble and the pow- 
erful; the great and the insignificant; is Energy and 
Invincible Determination." And he might have added 
that the thing behind that "energy and invincible de- 
termination" was Will. 

The writers and thinkers of all ages have recog- 
nized the wonderful and transcendent importance of 
the Will. Tennyson sings: "O living Will thou shalt 
endure when all that seems shall suffer shock." Oli- 
ver Wendell Holmes says: "The seat of the Will 
seems to vary with the organ through which it is 
manifested ; to transport itself to different parts of 
the brain, as we may wish to recall a picture, a phrase, 
a melody; to throw its force on the muscles or the 
intellectual processes. Like the general-in-chief , . its 
place is everywhere in the field of action. It is the 
least like an instrument of any of our faculties ; the 
farthest removed from our conceptions of mechanism 
and matter, as we commonly define them." Holmes 
was correct in his idea, but faulty in his details. The 



92 RAJA YOGA. 

Will does not change its seat, which is always in the 
center of the Ego, but the Will forces the mind to all 
parts, and in all directions, and it directs the Prana or 
vital force likewise. The Will is indeed the general- 
in-chief, but it does not rush to the various points of 
action, but sends its messengers and couriers there to 
carry out its orders, Buxton has said: "The Will 
will do anything that can be done in this world. And 
no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities will 
make a two-legged creature a Man without it." Ik 
Marvel truly says : "Resolve is what makes a man 
manifest ; not puny resolve, not crude determinations, 
not errant purpose — but that strong and indefatigable 
Will which treads down difficulties and danger, as a 
boy treads down the heaving frost-lands of winter; 
which kindles his eye and brain with a proud pulse- 
beat toward the unattainable. Will makes men 
giants." 

The great obstacle to the proper use of the Will, 
in the case of the majority of people, is the lack of 
ability to focus the attention. The Yogis clearly un- 
derstand this point, and many of the Raja Yoga exer- 
cises which are given to the students by the teachers, 
are designed to overcome this difficulty. Attention 
is the outward evidence of the Will. As a French 
writer has said: "The attention is subject to the su- 
perior authority of the Ego. I yield it, or I withhold 
it, as I please. I direct it in turn to several points. I 
concentrate it upon each point as long as my Will can 
stand the eflfort." Prof. James has said : "The essen- 



MENTAL CONTROL. 93 

tial achievement of the Will, when it k most volun- 
tary, is to attend to a difficult object, and hold it fast 
before the mind. Effort of Attention is the essential 
phenomenon of the Will." And Prof. Halleck says : 
"The first step toward the development of Will lies 
in the exercise of Attention. Ideas grow in dis- 
tinctness and motor-power as we attend to them. If 
we take two ideas of the same intensity and center 
the attention upon one, we shall notice how much it 
grows in power." Prof. Sully says: "Attention may 
be roughly defined as the active self-direction of the 
mind to any object which presents itself at the mo- 
ment." The word "Attention" is derived from two 
Latin words, ad tendere, meaning "to stretch to- 
wards," and this is just what the Yogis know it to be. 
By means of their psychic or clairvoyant sight, they 
see the thought of the attentive person stretched out 
toward the object attended to, like a sharp wedge, the 
point of which is focused upon the object under con- 
sideration, the entire force of the thought being con- 
centrated at that point. Thi§ is true not only when 
the person is considering an object, but when he is 
earnestly impressing his ideas upon another, or upon 
some task to be accomplished. Attention means 
reaching the mind out to and focusing it upon some- 
thing. 

The trained Will exhibits itself in a tenacious At- 
tention, and this Attention is one of the signs of the 
trained Will. The student must not hastily conclude 
that this kind of Attention is a common facultv among 



94 RAJA YOGA. 

men. On the contrary it is quite rare, and is seen only 
among those of "strong" mentaHty. Anyone may fas- 
ten his Attention upon some passing, pleasing thing, 
but it takes a trained will to fasten it upon some un- 
attractive thing, and hold it there. Of course the 
trained occultist is able to throw interest into the most 
unattractive thing upon which it becomes advisable 
to focus his Attention, but this, in itself, comes with 
the trained Will, and is not the possession of the 
average man. Voluntary Attention is rare, and is 
found only among strong characters. But it may be 
cultivated and grown, until he who has scarcely a 
shade of it to-day, in time may become a giant. It is 
all a matter of practice, exercise, and Will. 

It is difficult to say too much in favor of the devel- 
opment of the faculty of tenacious Attention. One 
possessing this developed faculty is able to accomplish 
far more than even a much "brighter" man who lacks 
it. And the best way to train the Attention, under the 
direction of the Will, is to practice upon uninteresting 
objects, and ideas, holding them before the mind until 
they begin to assume an Interest. This is difficult at 
first, but the task soon begins to take on .a pleasant 
aspect, for one finds that his Will-power and Atten- 
tion are growing, and he feels himself acquiring a 
Force and Power that were lacking before — he real- 
izes that he is growing Stronger. Charles Dickens 
said that the secret of his success consisted in his de- 
veloping a faculty of throwing his entire Attention 
into whatever he happened to be doing at the moment. 



MENTAL CONTROL. 95 

and then being able to turn that same degree of At- 
tention to the next thing coming before him for con- 
sideration. He was hke a man behind a great search- 
Hght, which was successively turned upon point after 
point, illuminating each in turn. The "I" is the man 
behind the light, and the Will is the reflector, the light 
being the Attention. 

This discussion of Will and Attention may seem 
somewhat "dry" to the student, but that is all the 
more reason that he should attend to it. It is the se- 
cret that lies at the basis of the Science of Raja Yoga, 
and the Yogi Masters have attained a degree of Con- 
centrated Will and Attention that would be inconceiv- 
able to the average "man on the street." By reason 
of this, they are able to direct the mind here and 
there, outward or inward, with an enormous force. 
They are able to focus the mind upon a small thing 
with remarkable intensity, just as the rays of the sun 
may be focused through a "sun-glass" and caused to 
ignite linen, or, on the other hand, they are able to 
send forth the mind with intense energy, illuminating 
whatever it rests upon, just as happens in the case of 
the strong electric searchlight, with which many of 
us are familiar. By all means start in to cultivate the 
Attention and Will. Practice on the unpleasant tasks 
— do the things that you have before you, and from 
which you have been shrinking because they were 
unpleasant. Throw interest into them, and the diffi- 
culty will vanish, and you will come out of it much 
stronger, and filled with a new sense of Power. 



96 RAJA YOGA. 



MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION). 

"I" have a Will — it is my inalienable property and 
right. I determine to cultivate and develop it by 
practice and exercise. My mind is obedient to my 
Will. I assert my Will over my Mind. I am Master 
of my mind and body. I assert my Mastery. My 
Will is Dynamic — full of Force and Energy, and 
Power. I feel my strength. I am Strong. I am 
Forceful. I am Vital. I am Center of Consciousness, 
Energy, Strength, and Power, and I claim my birth- 
right. 



THE FIFTH LESSON. 

The Cultivation of Attention. 

In our last lesson we called your attention to the 
fact that the Yogis devote considerable time and 
practice to the acquirement of Concentration. And 
we also had something to say regarding the relation 
of Attention to the subject of Concentration. In this 
lesson we shall have more to say on the subject of 
Attention, for it is one of the important things re- 
lating to the practice of Raja Yoga, and the Yogis 
insist upon their students practicing systematically to 
develop and cultivate the faculty. Attention lies at 
the base of Will-power, and the cultivation of one 
makes easy the exercise of the other. 

To explain why we lay so much importance to the 
cultivation of Attention, would necessitate our antici- 
pating future lessons of this series, which we do not 
deem advisable at this time. And so we must ask 
our students to take our word for it, that all that we 
have to say regarding the importance of the cultiva- 
tion of Attention, is occasioned by the relation of 
that subject to the use of the mind in certain direc- 
tions as will appear fully later on. 

In order to let you know that we are not advancing 
some peculiar theory of the Yogis, which may not be 
in harmony with modern Western Science, we give 
you in this article a number of quotations, from West- 

97 



98 RAJA YOGA. 

ern writers and thinkers, touching upon this important 
faculty of the mind, so that you may see that the 
West and East agree upon this main point, however 
different may be their explanations of the fact, or 
their use of the power gained by the cultivation of 
Attention. 

As we said in our last lesson, the word Attention is 
derived from two Latin words "ad tendere," mean- 
ing "to stretch toward," which is really what Atten- 
tion is. The "I" wills that the mind be focused on 
some particular object or thing, and the mind obeys 
and "stretches toward" that object or thing, fo- 
cusing its entire energy upon it, observing every de- 
tail, dissecting, analyzing, consciously and sub-con- 
sciously, drawing to itself every possible bit of in- 
formation regarding it, both from within and from 
without. We cannot lay too much stress upon the 
acquirement of this great faculty, or rather, the de- 
velopment of it, for it is necessary for the intelligent 
study of Raja Yoga. 

In order to bring out the importance of the sub- 
ject, suppose we start in by actually giving our Atten- 
tion to the subject of Attention, and see how much 
more there is in it than we had thought. We shall 
be well repaid for the amount of time and trouble ex- 
pended upon it. 

Attention has been defined as a focusing of con- 
sciousness, or, if one prefers the form of expression, 
as "detention in consciousness." In the first case, 
we may liken it to the action of the sun-glass through 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 99 

which the sun's rays are concentrated upon an ob- 
ject, the result being that the heat is gathered together 
at a small given point, the intensity of the same being 
raised many degrees until the heat is sufficient to burn 
a piece of wood, or evaporate water. If the rays were 
not focused, the same rays and heat would have been 
scattered over a large surface, and the effect and 
power lessened. And so it is with the mind. If it 
is allowed to scatter itself over the entire field of a 
subject, it will exert but little power and the results 
will be weak. But if it is passed through the sun- 
glass of attention, and focused first over one part, and 
then over another, and so on, the matter may be 
mastered in detail, and a result accomplished that will 
seem little less than marvelous to those who do not 
know the secret. 

Thompson has said: "The experiences most per- 
manently impressed upon consciousness, are those 
upon which the greatest amount of attention has been 
fixed." 

Another writer upon the subject has said that "At- 
tention is so essentially necessary to understanding, 
that without some degree of it the ideas and percep- 
tions that pass through the mind seem to leave no 
trace behind them." 

Hamilton has said: "An act of attention, that is, 
an act of concentration, seems thus necessary to every 
exertion of consciousness, as a certain contraction of 
the pupil is requisite to every exertion of vision. At- 
tention then is to consciousness what the contraction 



loo RAJA YOGA. 

of the pupil is to sight, or, to the eye of the mind 
what the microscope or telescope is to the bodily eye. 
It constitutes the better half of all intellectual power." 

And Brodie adds, quite forcibly: "It is Attention, 
much more than any difference in the abstract power 
of reasoning, which constitutes the vast difference 
which exists between minds of different individuals." 

Butler gives us this important testimony: "The 
most important intellectual habit I know of is the 
habit of attending exclusively to the matter in hand. 
It is commonly said that genius cannot be infused 
by education, yet this power of concentrated atten- 
tion, which belongs as a part of his gift to every great 
discoverer, is unquestionably capable of almost in- 
definite augmentation by resolute practice." 

And, concluding this review of opinions, and en- 
dorsements of that which the Yogis have so much to 
say, and to which they attach so much importance, let 
us listen to the words of Beattie, who says : "The 
force wherewith anything strikes the mind, is gen- 
erally in proportion to the degree of attention be- 
stowed upon it. Moreover, the great art of memory 
is attention, and inattentive people always have bad 
memories." 

There are two general kinds of Attention. The 
first is the Attention directed within the mind upon 
mental objects and concepts. The other is the Atten- 
tion directed outward upon objects external to our- 
selves. The same general rules and laws apply to 
both equally. 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. loi 

Likewise there may be drawn another distinction 
and division of attention into two classes, vis., Atten- 
tion attracted by some impression coming into con- 
sciousness without any conscious effort of the Will — 
this is called Involuntary Attention, for the Attention 
and Interest is caught by the attractiveness or novelty 
of the object. Attention directed to some object by 
an effort of the Will, is called Voluntary Attention. 
Involuntary Attention is quite common, and requires 
no special training. In fact, the lower animals, and 
young children seem to have a greater share of it 
than do adult men. A great percentage of men and 
women never get beyond this stage to any marked 
degree. On the other hand, Voluntary Attention re- 
quires effort, will, and determination — a certain mental 
training, that is beyond the majority of people, for 
they will not "take the trouble" to direct their atten- 
tion in this way. Voluntary Attention is the mark 
of the student and other thoughtful men. They focus 
their minds on objects that do not yield immediate 
interest or pleasure, in order that they may learn and 
accomplish. The careless person will not thus fasten 
his Attention, at least not more than a moment or 
so, for his Involuntary Attention is soon attracted by 
some passing object of no matter how trifling a na- 
ture, and the Voluntary Attention disappears and is 
forgotten. Voluntary Attention is developed by prac- 
tice and perseverance, and is well worth the trouble, 
for nothing in the mental world is accomplished with- 
out its use. 



I02 RAJA YOGA. 

The Attention does not readily fasten itself to unin- 
teresting objects, and, unless interest can be created, 
it requires a considerable degree of Voluntary Atten- 
tion in order that the mind may be fastened upon such 
an object. And, more than this, even if the ordinary 
attention is attracted it will soon waver, unless there 
is some interesting change in the aspect of the object, 
that will give the attention a fresh hold of interest, or 
unless some new quality, characteristic or property 
manifests itself in the object. This fact occurs be- 
cause the mind mechanism has not been trained to bear 
prolonged Voluntary Attention, and, in fact, the 
physical brain is not accustomed to the task, although 
it may be so trained by patient practice. 

It has been noticed by investigators that the Atten- 
tion may be rested and freshened, either by with- 
drawing the Voluntary Attention from the object, and 
allowing the Attention to manifest along Involuntary 
lines toward passing objects, etc. ; or, on the other 
hand, by directing the Voluntary Attention into a 
new field of observation — toward some new object. 
Sometimes one plan will seem to give the best results, 
and again the other will seem preferable. 

We have called your attention to the fact that In- 
terest develops Attention, and holds it fixed, while an 
uninteresting object or subject requires a much greater 
effort and application. This fact is apparent to any- 
one. A common illustration may be found in the mat- 
ter of reading a book. Nearly everyone will give his 
undivided attention to some bright, thrilling story. 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 103 

while but few are able to use sufficient Voluntary At- 
tention to master the pages of some scientific work. 
But, right here, we wish to call your attention to the 
other side of the case, which is another example of the 
fact that Truth is composed of paradoxes. 

Just as Interest develops Attention, so it is a truth 
that Attention develops Interest. If one will take the 
trouble to give a little Voluntary Attention to an ob- 
ject, he will soon find that a little perseverance will 
bring to light points of Interest in the object. Things 
before unseen and unsuspected, are quickly brought to 
light. And many new phases, and aspects of the sub- 
ject or object are seen, each one of which, in turn, 
becomes an object of Interest. This is a fact not so 
generally known, and one that it will be well for you 
to remember, and to use in practice. Look for the in- 
teresting features of an uninteresting thing, and they 
will appear to your view, and before long the uninter- 
esting object will have changed into a thing having 
many-sided interests. 

Voluntary Attention is one of the signs of a de- 
veloped Will. That is^ of a mind that has been well 
trained by the Will, for the Will is always strong, and 
it is the mind that has to be trained, not the Will. And 
on the other hand, one of the best ways to train the 
mind by the Will, is by practice in Voluntary Atten- 
tion. So you see how the rule works both ways. 
Some Western psychologists have even advanced the- 
ories that the Voluntary Attention is the only power 
of the Will, and that that power is sufficient, for if the 



104 RAJA YOGA. 

Attention be firmly fixed, and held upon an object the 
mind will "do the rest." We do not agree with this 
school of philosophers, but merely mention the fact 
as an illustration of the importance attributed by psy- 
chologists to this matter of Voluntary Attention. 

A man of a strongly developed Attention often ac- 
complishes far more than some much brighter man who 
lacks it. Voluntary Attention and Application is a 
very good substitute for Genius, and often accom- 
plishes far more in the long run. 

Voluntary Attention is the fixing of the mind 
earnestly and intently upon some particular object, at 
the same time shutting out from consciousness other 
objects pressing for entrance. Hamilton has defined 
it as "consciousness voluntarily applied under its law 
of limitations to some determinate object." The same 
writer goes on to state that "the greater the number 
of objects to which our consciousness is simultane- 
ously extended, the smaller is the intensity with which 
it is able to consider each, and consequently the less 
vivid and distinct will be the information it contains 
of the several objects. When our interest in any par- 
ticular object is excited, and when we wish to obtain 
all the knowledge concerning it in our power, it be- 
hooves us to limit our consideration to that object to 
the exclusion of others." 

The human mind has the power of attending to only 
one object at a time, although it is able to pass from 
one object to another with a marvelous degree of 
speed, so rapidly, in fact, that some have held that it 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 105 

could grasp several things at once. But the best au- 
thorities, Eastern and Western, hold to the "single 
idea" theory as being correct. On this point we may 
quote a few authorities. 

Jouifroy says that "It is established by experience 
that we cannot give our attention to two different ob- 
jects at the same time." And Holland states that "Two 
thoughts, however closely related to one another, can- 
not be presumed to exist at the same time." And 
Lewes has told us that "The nature of our organism 
prevents our having more than one aspect of an object 
at each instant presented to consciousness." Whateley 
says: "The best philosophers are agreed that the 
mind cannot actually attend to more than one thing at 
a time, but, when it appears to be doing so it is really 
shifting with prodigious rapidity backward and for- 
ward from one to the other." 

By giving a concentrated Voluntary Attention to 
an object, we not only are able to see and think about 
it with the greatest possible degree of clearness, but 
the mind has a tendency, under such circumstances, to 
bring into the field of consciousness all the different 
ideas associated in our memory with that object or 
subject, and to build around the object or subject a 
mass of associated facts and information. And at 
the same time the Attention given the subject makes 
more vivid and clear all that we learn about the thing 
at the time, and, in fact, all that we may afterwards 
Jearn about it. It seems to cut a channel, through 
which knowledgfe flows. 



io6 RAJA YOGA. 

Attention magnifies and increases the powers of per- 
ception, and greatly aids the exercise of the perceptive 
faculties. By "paying attention" to something seen 
or heard, one is enabled to observe the details of the 
thing seen or heard, and where the inattentive mind 
acquires say three impressions the attentive mind ab- 
sorbs three times three, or perhaps three times "three 
times three," or twenty-seven. And, as we have just 
said, Attention brings into play the powers of associa- 
tion, and gives us the "loose end" of an almost infinite 
chain of associated facts, stored away in our memory, 
forming new combinations of facts which we had never 
grouped together before, and bring out into the field 
of consciousness all the many scraps of information re- 
garding the thing to which we are giving attention. 
The proof of this is within the experience of every- 
one. Where is the one who does not remember sitting 
down to some writing, painting, reading, etc., with in- 
terest and attention, and finding, much to his surprise, 
what a flow of facts regarding the matter in hand was 
passing through his mind. Attention seems to focus 
all the knowledge of a thing that you possess, and 
by bringing it to a point enables you to combine, 
associate, classify, etc., and thus create new knowl- 
edge. Gibbon tells us that after he gave a brief 
glance and consideration to a new subject, he sus- 
pended further work upon it, and allowed his mind 
(under concentrated attention) to bring forth all his 
associated knowledge regarding the subject, after 
which he renewed the task with increased power and 
efficiency. 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 107 

The more one's attention is fixed upon a subject 
under consideration, the deeper is the impression 
which the subject leaves upon the mind. And the 
easier will it be for him to afterwards pursue the same 
train of thought and work. 

Attention is a prerequisite of good memory, and in 
fact there can be no memory at all unless some degree 
of attention is given. The degree of memory depends 
upon the degree of attention and interest. And when 
it is considered that the work of today is made efificient 
by the memory of things learned yesterday, the day 
before yesterday, and so on, it is seen that the degree 
of attention given today regulates the quality of the 
work of tomorrow. 

Some authorities have described Genius as the result 
of great powers of attention, or, at least, that the two 
seem to run together. Some writer has said that "pos- 
sibly the best definition of genius is the power of con- 
centrating upon some one given subject until its possi- 
bilities are exhausted and absorbed." Simpson has 
said that "The power and habit of thinking closely and 
continuously upon the subject at hand, to the exclu- 
sion^ for the time, of all other subjects, is one of the 
principal, if, indeed, not the principal, means of suc- 
cess." Sir Isaac Newton has told us his plan of ab- 
sorbing information and knowledge. He has stated 
that he would keep the subject under consideration be- 
fore him continually, and then would wait till the first 
dawning of perception gradually brightened into a 
clear light, little by little. A mental sunrise, in fact. 



io8 RAJA YOGA. 

That sage observer, Dr. Abercrombie, has written 
that he considered that he knew of no more important 
rule for rising to eminence in any profession or occu- 
pation than the abihty to do one thing at a time, avoid- 
ing all distracting and diverting objects or subjects, and 
keeping the leading matter continually before the mind. 
And others have added that such a course will enable 
one to observe relations between the subject and other 
things that will not be apparent to the careless observer 
or student. 

The degree of Attention cultivated by a man is the 
degree of his capacity for intellectual work. As we 
have said, the "great" men of all walks of life have 
developed this faculty to a wonderful degree, and 
many of them seem to get results "intuitivel}'," 
whereas, in truth, they obtain them by reason of their 
concentrated power of Attention, which enables them 
to see right into the center of a subject or proposition 
— and all around it, back and front, and all sides, in a 
space of time incredible to the man who has not 
cultivated this mighty power. Men who have devoted 
much attention to some special line of work or re- 
search, are able to act almost as if they possessed 
"second sight," providing the subject is within their 
favorite field of endeavor. Attention quickens every 
one of the faculties — the reasoning faculties — the 
senses — the deciding qualities — the analytical faculties, 
and so on, each being given a "fine edge" by their 
use under a concentrated Attention. 

And, on the other hand, there is no surer indication 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 109 

of a weak mind than the deficiency in Attention. This 
weakness may arise from illness or physical weakness 
reacting upon the brain, in which case the trouble is 
but temporary. Or it may arise from a lack of mental 
development. Imbeciles and idiots have little or no 
Attention. The great French psychologist, Luys, 
speaking of this fact, says "Imbeciles and idiots see 
badly, hear badly, feel badly, and their sensorium is, in 
consequence, in a similar condition of sensitive pov- 
erty. Its impressionability for the things of the ex- 
ternal world is at a minimum, its sensibility weak, and 
consequently, it is difficult to provoke the physiological 
condition necessary for the absorption of the external 
impression." 

In old age the Attention is the first faculty to show 
signs of decay. Some authorities have held that the 
Memory was the first faculty to be aiiected by the 
approach of old age, but this is incorrect, for it is a 
matter of common experience that the aged manifest a 
wonderfully clear memory of events occurring in the 
far past. The reason that their memory of recent 
events is so poor is because their failing powers of At- 
tention has prevented them from receiving strong, clear 
mental impressions, and as is the impression so is the 
memory. Their early impressions having been clear 
and strong, are easily recalled, while their later ones, 
being weak, are recalled with difficulty. If the Mem- 
ory were at fault, it would be difficult for them to recall 
any impression, recent or far distant in time. 

But we must stoo quoting examples and authorities. 



no RAJA YOGA. - 

and urging upon you the importance of the faculty 
of Attention. If you do not now realize it, it is because 
you have not given the subject the Attention that you 
should have exercised, and further repetition would 
not remedy matters. 

Admitting the importance of Attention, from the 
psychological point of view, not to speak of the occult 
side of the subject, is it not a matter of importance 
for you to start in to cultivate that faculty? We 
think so. And the only way to cultivate any mental 
or physical part or faculty is to Exercise it. Exercise 
"uses up" a muscle, or mental faculty, but the organ- 
ism makes haste to rush to the scene additional 
material — cell-stuff, nerve force, etc., to repair the 
waste, and it always sends a little more than is needed. 
And this "little more," continually accruing and in- 
creasing, is what increases the muscles and brain cen- 
ters. And improved and strengthened brain centers 
give the mind better instruments with which to work.' 

One of the first things to do in the cultivation of 
Attention is to learn to think of, and do, one thing at 
a time. Acquiring the "knack" or habit of attending 
closely to the things before us, and then passing on to 
the next and treating it in the same way, is most con- 
ducive to success, and its practice is the best exercise 
for the cultivation of the faculty of Attention. And 
on the contrary, there is nothing more harmful from 
the point of view of successful performance — and 
nothing that will do more to destroy the power of 
giving Attention — than the habit of trying to do one 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. iii 

thing while thinking of another. The thinking part 
of the mind, and the acting part should work together, 
not in opposition. 

Dr. Beattie, speaking of this subject, tells us "It is 
a matter of no small im.portance that we acquire the 
habit of doing only one thing at a time ; by which I 
mean that while attending to any one object, our 
thoughts ought not to wander to another." And 
Granville adds, "A frequent cause of failure in the 
faculty of Attention is striving to think of more than 
one thing at a time." And Kay quotes, approvingly, a 
writer who says : "She did things easily, because she 
attended to them in the doing. When she made 
bread, she thought of the bread, and not of the fashion 
of her next dress, or of her partner at the last dance." 
Lord Chesterfield said, "There is time enough for 
everything in the course of the day, if you do but 
one thing at a tim^j^^t there is not time enough in 
the year if you try to do two things at a time." 

To attain the best results one should practice con- 
centrating upon the task before him, shutting out, so 
far as possible, every other idea or thought. One 
should even forget self — personality — in such cases, as 
there is nothing more destructive of good thinking 
than to allow morbid self-consciousness to intrude. 
One does best when he "forgets himself" in his work, 
and sinks his personality in the creative work. The 
"earnest" man or woman is the one who sinks per- 
sonality in the desired result, or performance of the 
task undertaken. The actor, or preacher, or orator, 



112 RAJA YOGA. 

or writer, must lose sight of himself to get the best 
results. Keep the Attention fixed on the thing before 
you, and let the self take care of itself. 

In connection with the above, we may relate an 
anecdote of Whateley that may be interesting in con- 
nection with the consideration of this subject of "losing 
one's self" in the task. He was asked for a recipe for 
"bashfulness," and replied that the person was bashful 
simply because he was thinking of himself and the 
impression he was making. His recipe was that the 
young man should think of others — of the pleasure he 
could give them — and in that way he would forget 
all about himself. The prescription is said to have 
effected the cure. The same authority has written, 
"Let both the extemporary speaker, and the reader of 
his own compositions, study to avoid as far as possible 
all thoughts of self, earnestly fixing the mind on the 
matter of what is delivered; and they will feel less 
that embarrassment which arises from the thought of 
what opinion the hearers will form of them." 

The same writer, Whateley, seems to have made 
quite a study of Attention and has given us some 
interesting information on its details. The following 
may be read with interest, and if properly understood 
may be employed to advantage. He says, "It is a fact, 
and a very curious one, that many people find that they 
can best attend to any serious matter when they are 
occupied with something else which requires a little, 
and but a little, attention, such as working with the 
needle, cutting open paper leaves, or, for want of some 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 113 

such employment, fiddling anyhow with the fingers." 
He does not give the reason for this, and at first sight 
it might seem like a contradiction of the "one thing 
at a time" idea. But a closer examination will show 
us that the minor work (the cutting lea.ves, etc.) is in 
the nature of an involuntary or automatic movement, 
inasmuch as it requires little or no voluntary attention, 
and seems to "do itself." It does not take off the 
Attention from the main subject, but perhaps acts to 
catch the "waste Attention" that often tries to divide 
the Attention from some voluntary act to another. 
The habit mind may be doing one thing, while the 
Attention is fixed on another. For instance, one may 
be writing with his attention firmly fixed upon the 
thought he wishes to express, while at the time his 
hand is doing the writing, apparently with no atten- 
tion being given it. But, let a boy, or person unac- 
customed to writing, try to express his thoughts in 
this way, and you will find that he is hampered in the 
flow of his thoughts by the fact that he has to give 
much attention to the mechanical act of writing. In 
the same way, the beginner on the typewriter finds it 
difficult to compose to tlie machine, while the expe- 
rienced typist finds the mechanical movements no 
hindrance whatever to the flow of thought and focus- 
ing of Attention; in fact, many find that they can 
compose much better while using the typewriter than 
they can by dictating to a stenographer. We think 
you will see the principle. 

And now for a little Mental Drill in Attention, that 



114 RAJA YOGA. 

you may be started on the road to cultivate this im- 
portant faculty. 

MENTAL DRILL IN ATTENTION. 

Exercise I. Begin by taking some familiar object 
and placing it before you, try to get as many impres- 
sions regarding it as is possible for you. Study its 
shape, its color, its size, and the thousand and one 
little peculiarities about it that present themselves to 
your attention. In doing this, reduce the thing to its 
simplest parts — analyze it as far as is possible — dissect 
it, mentally, and study its parts in detail. The more 
simple and small the part to be considered, the more 
clearly will the impression be received, and the more 
vividly will it be recalled. Reduce the thing to the 
smallest possible proportions, and then examine each 
portion, and mastering that, then pass on to the next 
part, and so on, until you have covered the entire field. 
Then, when you have exhausted the object, take a 
pencil and paper and put down as nearly as possible 
all the things or details of the object examined. When 
you have done this, compare the written description 
with the object itself, and see how many things you 
have failed to note. 

The next day take up the same object, and after 
re-examining it, write down the details and you will 
find that you will have stored away a greater number 
of impressions regarding it, and, moreover, you will 
have discovered many new details during your second 
examination. This exercise strengthens the memory 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 115 

as well as the Attention, for the two are closely con- 
nected, the memory depending largely upon the clear- 
ness and strength of the impressions received, while 
the impressions depend upon the amount of attention 
given to the thing observed. Do not tire yourself 
with this exercise, for a tired Attention is a poor 
Attention. Better try it by degrees, increasing the 
task a little each time you try it. Make a game of it 
if you like, and you will find it quite interesting to 
notice the steady but gradual improvement. 

It will be interesting to practice this in connection 
with some friend, varying the exercise by both exam- 
ining the object, and writing down their impressions, 
separately, and then comparing results. This adds 
interest to the task, and you will be surprised to see 
how rapidly both of you increase in your powers of 
observation, which powers, of course, result from 
Attention. 

Exercise 11. This exercise is but a variation of the 
first one. It consists in entering a room, and taking 
a hasty glance around, and then walking out, and 
afterward writing down the number of things that you 
have observed, with a description of each. You will 
be surprised to observe how many things you have 
missed at first sight, and how you will improve in 
observation by a little practice. This exercise, also, 
may be improved by the assistance of a friend, as 
related in our last exercise. It is astonishing how 
many details one may observe and remember, after a 
little practice. It is related of Houdin, the French 



ii6 RAJA YOGA. 

conjurer, that he improved and developed his faculty 
of Attention and Memory by playing this game with 
a young relative. They would pass by a shop window, 
taking a hasty, attentive glance at its contents. Then 
they would go around the corner and compare notes. 
At first they could remember only a few prominent 
articles — that is, their Attention could grasp only a 
few. But as they developed by practice, they found 
that they could observe and remember a vast number 
of things and objects in the window. And, at last, it 
is related that Houdin could pass rapidly before any 
large shop window, bestowing upon it but one hasty 
glance, and then tell the names of, and closely 
describe, nearly every object in plain sight in the 
window. The feat was accomplished by the fact that 
the cultivated Attention enabled Houdin to fasten 
upon his mind a vivid mental image of the window 
and its contents, and then he was able to describe the 
articles one by one from the picture in his mind. 

Houdin taught his son to develop Attention by a 
simple exercise which may be interesting and of value 
to you. He would lay down a domino before the boy 
— a five-four, for example. He would require the 
boy to tell him the combined number at once, without 
allowing him to stop to count the spots, one by one. 
"Nine" the boy would answer after a moment's hesi- 
tation. Then another domino, a three-four, would be 
added. "That makes sixteen," cried the boy. Two 
dominoes at a time was the second day's task. The 
next day, three was the standard. The next day, four. 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 117 

and so on, until the boy was able to handle twelve 
dominoes — that is to say, give instantaneously the total 
number of spots on twelve dominoes, after a single 
glance. This was Attention, in earnest, and shovv's 
what practice will do to develop a faculty. The result 
was shown by the wonderful powers of observation, 
memory and attention, together with instantaneous 
mental action, that the boy developed. Not only was 
he able to add dominoes instantaneously, but he had 
powers of observation, etc., that seemed little short of 
miraculous. And yet it is related that he had poor 
attention, and deficient memory to begin with. 

If this seems incredible, let us remember how old 
whist players note and remember every card in the 
pack, and can tell whether they have been played or 
not, and all the circumstances attending upon them. 
The same is true of chess players, who observe every 
move and can relate the whole game in detail long 
after it has been played. And remember, also, how 
one woman may pass another v^^oman on the street, 
and without seeming to give her more than a careless 
glance, may be able to relate in detail every feature of 
the other woman's apparel, including its color, tex- 
ture, style of fashioning, probable price of the material, 
etc., etc. And a mere man would have noticed scarcely 
anything about it — because he would not have given it 
any attention. But how soon would that man learn to 
equal his sister in attention and observation of women's 
wearing apparel, if his business success depended upon 
it, or if his speculative instinct was called into play 



ii8 RAJA YOGA. 

by a wager with some friend as to who could remem- 
ber the most about a woman's clothing, seen in a 
passing glance? You see it is all a matter of Interest 
and Attention. 

But we forget that the Attention may be developed 
and cultivated, and we complain that we "cannot 
remember things," or that we do not seem to be able 
to "take notice." A little practice will do wonders in 
this direction. 

Now, while the above exercises will develop your 
memory and powers of observation, still that is not the 
main reason that we have given them to you. We 
have an ulterior object, that will appear in time. We 
aim to develop your Will-power, and we know that 
Attention stands at the gate of Will-power. In order 
to be able to use your Will, you must be able to focus 
the Attention forcibly and distinctly. And these child- 
ish exercises will help you to develop the mental 
muscles of the Attention. If you could but realize the 
childish games the young Yogi students are required 
to play, in order to develop the mental faculties, you 
would change your minds about the Yogi Adepts 
whom you have been thinking about as mere dreamers, 
far removed from the practical. These men, and their 
students, are intensely practical. They have gained 
the mastery of the Mind, and its faculties, and are able 
to use them as sharp edged tools, while the untrained 
man finds that he has but a dull, unsharpened blade 
that will do nothing but hack and hew roughly, in- 
stead of being able to produce the finished product. 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 119 

The Yogi believes in giving the "I" good tools with 
which to work, and he spends much time in tempering 
and sharpening these tools. Oh, no, the Yogi are not 
idle dreamers. Their grasp of "practical things" 
would surprise many a practical, matter-of-fact West- 
ern business man, if he could but observe it. 

And so, we ask you to practice "observing things." 
The two exercises we have given are but indications 
of the general line. We could give you thousands, but 
you can prepare them yourselves as well as could we. 
The little Hindu boy is taught Attention by being 
asked to note and remember the number, color, char- 
acter and other details of a number of colored stones, 
jewelry, etc., shown for an instant in an open palm, 
the hand being closed the moment after. He is taught 
to note and describe passing travelers, and their equi- 
pages — houses he sees on his journeys — and thousands 
of other everyday objects. The results are almost 
marvelous. In this way he is prepared as a chela or 
student, and he brings to his gtiru or teacher a brain 
well developed — a mind thoroughly trained to obey the 
Will of the "I" — and with faculties quickened to per- 
ceive instantly that which others would fail to see in 
a fortnight. It is true that he does not turn these 
faculties to "business" or other so-called "practical" 
pursuits, but prefers to devote them to abstract stud- 
ies and pursuits outside of that which the Western 
man considers to be the end and aim of life. But 
remember that the two civilizations are quite differ- 
ent — following different ideals — having different eco- 



120 RAJA YOGA. 

nomic conditions-— living in different worlds, as it 
were. But that is all a matter of taste and ideals — 
the faculty for the "practical life" of the West is pos- 
sessed by the chela, if he saw fit to use it. But all 
Hindu youths are not chelas, remember — nor are all 
Western youths "captains of industry/' or Edisons. 



CULTIVATION OF ATTENTION. 121 



MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION). 

I am using my Attention to develop my mental 
faculties, so as to give the 'T" a perfect instrument 
with which to work. The mind is My instrument and 
I am bringing it to a state of capacity for perfect work. 



THE SIXTH LESSON. 

Cultivation of Perception. 

Man gains his knowledge of the outside world 
through his senses. And, consequently, many of us 
are in the habit of thinking of these senses as if they 
did the sensing, instead of being merely carriers of the 
vibrations coming from the outside world, which are 
then presented to the Mind for examination. We shall 
speak of this at greater length a little later on in this 
lesson. Just now we wish to impress upon you the 
fact that it is the Mind that perceives, not the senses. 
And, consequently, a development of Perception is 
really a development of the Mind. 

The Yogis put their students through a very arduous 
course of practice and exercises designed to develop 
their powers of perception. To many this would ap- 
pear to be merely a development of the Senses, which 
might appear odd in view of the fact that the Yogis 
are constantly preaching the folly of being governed 
and ruled by the senses. But there is nothing para- 
doxical about all this, for the Yogis, while preaching 
the folly of sense life, and manifesting the teaching in 
their lives, nevertheless believe in any and all exer- 
cises calculated to "sharpen" the Mind, and develop 
it to a keen state and condition. 

They see a great difference between having a sharp- 
123 



124 RAJA YOGA. 

ened perception, on the one hand, and being a slave 
to the senses on the other. For instance, what would 
be thought of a man who objected to acquiring a keen 
eyesight, for fear it would lead him away from higher 
things, by reason of his becoming attached to the beau- 
tiful things he might see. To realize the folly of this 
idea, one may look at its logical conclusion, which 
would be that one would then be much better off if all 
their senses were destroyed. The absurdity, not to say 
wickedness, of such an idea will be apparent to every- 
one, after a minute's consideration. 

The secret of the Yogi theory and teachings regard- 
ing the development of the Mental powers, lies in the 
word "Mastery." The Yoga student accomplishes and 
attains this mastery in two ways. The first way is by 
subordinating all the feelings, sense-impressions, etc., 
to the Mastery of the "I," or Will, the Mastery being 
obtained in this way by the assertion of the dominancy 
of the "I" over the faculties and emotions, etc. The 
second step, or way, lies in the Yogi, once having as- 
serted the mastery, beginning to develop and perfect 
the Mental instrument, so as to get better work and re- 
turns from it. In this way he increases his kingdom 
and is Master over a much larger territory. 

In order for one to gain knowledge, it is necessary 
to use to the best advantage the mental instruments 
and tools that he finds at his disposal. And again, one 
must develop and improve such tools — ^put a keen edge 
upon them, etc. Not only does one gain a great bene- 
fit from a development of the faculties of perception. 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 125 

but he also acquires an additional benefit from the 
training of the whole mind arising from the mental 
discipline and training resulting from the former exer- 
cises, etc. In our previous lessons we have pointed 
out some of the means by which these faculties might 
be greatly improved, and their efficiency increased. 
In this lesson we shall point out certain directions in 
which the Perceptive faculties may be trained. We 
trust that the simplicity of the idea may not cause any 
of our students to lose interest in the work. If they 
only knew just what such development would lead to 
they would gladly follow our suggestions in the mat- 
ter. Every one of the ideas and exercises given by us 
are intended to lead up to the strengthening of the 
Mind, and the attainment of powers and the unfold- 
ment of faculties. There is no royal road to Raja 
Yoga, but the student will be well repaid for the work 
of climbing the hill of Attainment. 

In view of the above, let us examine the question of 
The Senses. Through the doors of the senses Man re- 
ceives all his information regarding the outside world. 
If he keeps these doors but half open, or crowded up 
with obstacles and rubbish, he may expect to receive 
but few messages from outside. But if he keeps his 
doorways clear, and clean, he will obtain the best that 
is passing his way. 

If one were born without sense-organs — no matter 
how good a Mind he might have — ^he would be com- 
pelled to live his life in a dreamy plant-life stage of 
existence, with little or no consciousness. The Mind 



126 RAJA YOGA. 

would be like a seed in the earth, that for some reason 
was prevented from growing. 

One may object that the highest ideas do not come 
to us through the senses, but the reply is that the things 
obtained through the senses are the "raw material" 
upon which the mind works, and fashions the beauti- 
ful things that it is able to produce in its highest stages. 
Just as is the body dependent for growth upon the 
nourishment taken into it, so is the mind dependent 
for growth upon the impressions received from the 
Universe — and these impressions come largely 
through the senses. It may be objected to that we 
know many things that we have not received through 
our senses. But, does the objector include the im- 
pressions that came through his senses in some pre- 
vious existence, and which have been impressed upon 
his instinctive mind, or soul-memory? It is true that 
there are higher senses than those usually recognized, 
but Nature insists upon one learning the lessons of the 
lower grades before attempting those of the higher. 

Do not forget that all that we know we have 
"worked for." There is nothing that comes to the 
idler, or shirker. What we know is merely the result 
of "stored-up accumulations of previous experience." 
as Lewes has so well said. 

So it will be seen that the Yogi idea that one should 
develop all parts of the Mind is strictly correct, if one 
will take the trouble to examine into the matter. A 
man sees and knows but very little of what is going 
on about him. His limitations are great. His powers 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 127 

af vision report only a few vibrations of light, while 
below and above the scale lie an infinity of vibrations 
unknown to him. The same is true of the powers of 
hearing, for only a comparatively small portion of the 
sound-waves reach the Mind of Man — even some of 
the animals hear more than he does. 

If a man had only one sense he would obtain but a 
one-sense idea of the outside world. If another sense 
is added his knowledge is doubled. And so on. The 
best proof of the relation between increased sense per- 
ception and development is had in the study of the 
evolution of animal forms. In the early stages of life 
the organism has only the sense of feeling — and verj' 
dim at that — and a faint sense of taste. Then devel- 
oped smell, hearing and sight, each marking a distinct 
advance in the scale of life, for a new world has been 
opened out to the advancing forms of life. And, 
when man develops new senses — and this is before the 
race — he will be a much wiser and greater being. 

Carpenter, many years ago, voiced a thought that 
will be familiar to those who are acquainted with the 
Yogi teachings regarding the unfoldment of new 
senses. He said: "It does not seem at all improb- 
able that there are properties of matter of which none 
of our senses can take immediate cognizance, and 
which other beings might be formed to perceive in 
the same manner as we are sensible to light, sound, 
etc." 

And Isaac Taylor said: "It may be that within 
the field occupied by the visible and ponderable uni- 



128 RAJA YOGA. 

verse there is existing and moving another element 
fraught with another species of hfe — corporeal, in- 
deed, and various in its orders, but not open to cog- 
nizance of those who are confined to the conditions 
of animal organization. Is it to be thought that the 
eye of man is the measure of the Creator's power? 
— and that He created nothing but that which he 
has exposed to our present senses? The contrary 
seems much more than barely possible ; ought we not 
to think it almost certain?" 

Another Avriter, Prof. Masson, has said : "If a new 
sense or two were added to the present normal number, 
in man, that which is now the phenomenal world for 
all of us might, for all that we know, burst into some- 
thing amazingly different and wider, in consequence 
of the additional revelations of these new senses." 

But not only is this true, but Man may increase his 
powers of knowledge and experience if he will but de- 
velop the senses he has to a higher degree of efficiency, 
instead of allowing them to remain comparatively atro- 
phied. And toward this end, this lesson is written. 

The Mind obtains its impressions of objects of the 
outside world by means of the brain and sense organs. 
The sensory organs are the instruments of the Mind, 
as is also the brain and the entire nervous system. 
By means of the nerves, and the brain, the Mind 
makes use of the sensory organs in order that it may 
obtain information regarding external objects. 

The senses are usually said to consist of five differ- 
ent forms, viz., sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 129 

The Yogis teach that there are higher senses, undevel- 
oped, or comparatively so, in the majority of the race, 
but toward the unfoldment of which the race is tend- 
ing. But we shall not touch upon these latent senses 
in this lesson, as they belong to another phase of the 
subject. In addition to the five senses above enumer- 
ated, some physiologists and psychologists have held 
that there were several others in evidence. For in- 
stance, the sense by which the inner organs revealed 
their presence and condition. The muscular system 
reports to the mind through some sense that is not that 
of "touch," although closely allied to it. And the feel- 
ings of hunger, thirst, etc., seem to come to us through 
an unnamed sense. 

Bernstein has distinguished between the five senses 
and the one just referred to as follows : "The charac- 
teristic distinction between these common sensations 
and the sensations of the senses is that by the latter we 
gain knowledge of the occurrences and objects which 
belong to the external world (and which sensations we 
refer to external objects), whilst by the former we 
only feel conditions of our own body." 

A sensation is the internal, mental conception, re- 
sulting from an external object or fact exciting the 
sense organs and nerves, and the brain, thus making 
the mind "aware" of the external object or fact. As 
Bain has said, it is the "mental impression, feeling, or 
conscious state, resulting from the action of external 
things on some part of the body, called on that ac- 
count, sensitive." 



I30 RAJA YOGA. 

Each channel of sense Impressions has an organ, or 
organs, peculiarly adapted for the excitation of its 
substance by the particular kind of vibrations through 
which it receives impressions. The eye is most cun- 
ningly and carefully designed to receive the light- 
waves ; and sound-waves produce no effect upon it. 
And, likewise, the delicate mechanism of the ear re- 
sponds only to sound-waves ; light-waves failing to 
register upon it. Each set of sensations is entirely 
different, and the organs and nerves designed to reg- 
ister each particular set are peculiarly adapted to their 
own special work. The organs of sense, including 
their special nervous systems, may be compared to 
a delicate instrument that the mind has fashioned for 
itself, that it may investigate, examine and obtain re- 
ports from the outside world. 

We have become so accustomed to the workings of 
the senses that we take them as a "matter of course," 
and fail to recognize them as the delicate and won- 
derful instruments that they are — designed and per- 
fected by the mind for its own use. If we will think 
of the soul as designing, manufacturing and using 
these instruments, we may begin to understand their 
true relations to our lives, and, accordingly treat them 
with more respect and consideration. 

We are in the habit of thinking that we are aware 
of all the sensations received by our mind. But this is 
very far from being correct. The unconscious re- 
gions of the mind are incomparably larger than the 
small conscious area that we srenerallv think of when 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 131 

we say "my mind." In future lessons we shall proceed 
to consider this wonderful area, and examine what 
is to be found there. Taine has well said, "There 
is going on within us a subterranean process of in- 
finite extent; its products alone are known to us, and 
are only known to us in the mass. As to elements, 
and their elements, consciousness does not attain to 
them. They are to sensations what secondary mole- 
cules and primitive molecules are to bodies. We get 
a glance here and there at obscure and infinite worlds 
extending beneath our distinct sensations. These 
are compounds and wholes. For their elements to be 
perceptible to consciousness, it is necessary for them 
to be added together, and so to acquire a certain bulk 
and to occupy a certain time, for if the group does 
not attain this bulk, and does not last this time, we 
observe no changes in our state. Nevertheless, though 
it escapes us, there is one." 

But we must postpone our consideration of this 
more than interesting phase of the subject, until some 
future lesson, when we shall take a trip into the re- 
gions of Mind, under and above Consciousness. And 
a most wonderful trip many of us will find it, too. 

For the present, we must pay our attention to the 
channels by which the material for knowledge and 
thought enter our minds. For these sense impres- 
sions, coming to us from without, are indeed "ma- 
terial" upon which the mind works in order to man- 
ufacture the product callea "Thought." 

This material we obtain through the channels of the 



132 RAJA YOGA. 

senses, and then store in that wonderful storehouse, 
the Memory, from whence we bring out material 
from time to time, which we proceed to weave into 
the fabric of Thought. The skill of the worker de- 
pends upon his training, and his ability to select 
and combine the proper materials. And the acquiring 
of good materials to be stored up is an important part 
of the work. 

A mind without stored-up material of impressions 
and experiences would be like a factory without ma- 
terial. The machinery would have nothing upon 
which to work, and the shop would be idle. As Helm- 
holtz has said, "Apprehension by the senses supplies 
directly or indirectly, the material of all human 
knowledge, or at least the stimulus necessary to de- 
velop every inborn faculty of the mind." And Her- 
bert Spencer, has this to say of this phase of the sub- 
ject, "It is almost a truism to say that in proportion 
to the numerousness of the objects that can be dis- 
tinguished, and in proportion to the variety of co- 
existences and sequences that can be severally re- 
sponded to, must be the number and rapidity and 
variety of the changes within the organism — must 
be the amount of vitality." 

A little reflection upon this subject will show us 
that the greater degree of exercise and training given 
the senses, the greater the degree of mental power and 
capability. As we store our mental storehouse with 
the materials to be manufactured into thought, so is 
the quality and quantity of the fabric produced. 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 133 

It therefore behooves us to awaken from our "lazy" 
condition of mind, and to proceed to develop our or- 
gans of sense, and their attendant mechanism, as by- 
doing so we increase our capacity for thought and 
knowledge. 

Before passing to the exercises, however, it may 
be well to give a hasty passing glance at the several 
senses, and their peculiarities. 

The sense of Touch is the simplest and primal sense. 
Long before the lower forms of life had developed 
the higher senses, they had evidenced the sense of 
Touch or Feeling. Without this sense they would have 
been unable to have found their food, or to receive and 
respond to outside impressions. In the early forms 
of life it was exercised equally by all parts of the body, 
although in the higher forms this sense has become 
somewhat localized, as certain parts of the body are 
far more sensitive than are others. The skin is the 
seat of the sense of Touch, and its nerves are dis- 
tributed over the entire area of the skin. The hand, 
and particularly the fingers, and their tips, are the 
principal organs of this sense. 

The acuteness of Touch varies materially in differ- 
ent parts of the body. Experim.ents have shown that 
a pair of compasses would register impressions as a 
very slight distance apart when applied to the tip 
of the tongue. The distance at which the two 
points could be distinguished from one point, on the 
tip of the tongue, was called "one line." Using this 
"line" as a standard, it was found that the palmar sur~ 



134 RAJA YOGA. 

face of the third finger registered 2 lines; the sur- 
face of the hps 4 lines, and the skin of the back, and 
on the middle of the arm or thigh, as high as 60 lines. 
The degree of sensitiveness to Touch varies greatly 
with different individuals, some having a very fine 
sense of touch in their fingers, while others manifested 
a very much lower degree. 

In the same way, there is a great difference in the 
response of the fingers to weight — a great difference 
in the ability to distinguish the difference of the 
weight of objects. It has been found that some peo- 
ple can distinguish differences in weight down to very 
small fractions of an ounce. Fine distinctions in 
the differences in temperature have also been no- 
ticed. 

The sense of touch, and its development has meant 
much for Man. It is the one sense in which Man sur- 
passes the animals in the matter of degree and acute- 
ness. The animal may have a keener smell, taste, 
hearing and sight, but its sense of Touch is far be- 
neath that of Man. Anaxagoras is quoted as saying 
that "if the animals had hands and fingers, they would 
be like men." 

In developing the sense of Touch, the student must 
remember that Attention is the key to success. The 
greater the amount of Attention the greater the de- 
gree of development possible in the case of any sense. 
When the Attention is concentrated upon any par- 
ticular sense, the latter becomes quickened and more 
acute, and repeated exercise, under the stimulus of At- 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 135 

tention, will work wonders in the case of any par- 
ticular sense. And on the other hand, the sense 
of touch may be almost, or completely inhibited, by 
firmly fixing the Attention upon something else. 
As an extreme proof of this latter fact, the student 
is asked to remember the fact that men have been 
known to suffer excruciating torture, apparently with- 
out feeling, owing to the mind being intently riveted 
upon some idea or thought. As Wyld has said, "The 
martyr borne above sensuous impressions, is not only 
able to endure tortures, but is able to endure and 
quench them. The pinching and cutting of the flesh 
only added energy to the death song of the American 
Indian, and even the slave under the lash is sustained 
by the indignant sense of his wrongs." 

In the cases of persons engaged in occupations re- 
quiring a fine degree of Touch, the development is 
marvelous. The engraver passes his hand over the 
plate, and is able to distinguish the slightest imper- 
fection. And the handler of cloth and fabrics is able 
to distinguish the finest differences, simply by the 
sense of touch. Wool sorters also exercise a wonder- 
fully high degree of fineness of touch. And the blind 
are able to make up for the loss of sight by their 
greatly increased sense of Touch, cases being re- 
corded where the blind have been able to distinguish 
color by the different "feel" of the material. 

The sense of Taste is closely allied to that of Touch 
— in fact some authorities have considered Taste as 
a very highly developed sense of Touch in certain 



136 RAJA YOGA. 

surfaces of the body, the tongue notably. It will be 
remembered that the tongue has the finest sense of 
Touch, and it also has the sense of Taste developed 
to perfection. In Taste and Touch the object must 
be brought in direct contact with the organ of sense, 
which is not the case in Smell, Hearing, or Sight. And, 
be it remembered, that the latter senses have special 
nerves, while Taste is compelled to fall back upon 
the ordinary nerves of Touch. It is true that Taste is 
confined to a very small part of the surface of the 
body, while Touch is general. But this only indi- 
cates a special development of the special area. The 
sense of Taste also depends to a great extent upon 
the presence of fluids, and only substances that are sol- 
uble make their presence known through the organs 
and sense of Taste. 

Physiologists report that the sense of Taste in some 
persons is so acute that one part of strychnine in one 
million parts of water has been distinguished. There 
are certain occupations, such as that of wine-tasters, 
tea-tasters, etc., the followers of which manifest a 
degree of fineness of Taste almost incredible. 

The sense of Smell is closely connected with the 
sense of Taste, and often acts in connection therewith, 
as the tiny particles of the substance in the mouth 
arise to the organs of Smell, by means of the open- 
ing or means of communication situated in the back 
part of the mouth. Besides which the nose usually 
detects the odor of substances before they enter the 
mouth. The sense of Smell operates by reason of the 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 137 

tiny particles or the object being carried to the mu- 
cous membrane of the interior of the nose, by means 
of the air. The membrane, being moist, seizes and 
holds these particles for a moment, and the fine nerv- 
ous organism reports differences and qualities and 
the Mind is thus informed of the nature of the ob- 
ject. 

The sense of Smell is very highly developed among 
animals, who are compelled to rely upon it to a con- 
siderable extent. And many occupations among men 
require the development of this sense, for instance, 
the tobacconist, the wine dealer, the perfumers, the 
chemist, etc. It is related that in the cases of certain 
blind people, it has been observed that they could 
distinguish persons in this manner. 

The sense of Hearing is a more complex one than in 
the case of Taste, Touch and Smell. In the latter 
three the objects to be sensed must be brought in 
close contact with the sense-organs, while in Hearing 
the object may be far removed, the impressions being 
carried by the vibrations of the air, which are caught 
up and reported upon by the nervous organism of 
the sense of Hearing. The internal mechanism of 
the ear is most wonderfully intricate and complex, 
and excites to wonder the person examining it. It 
cannot be described here for want of space, but the 
student is advised to inquire into it if he has access 
to any library containing books on the subject. It 
is a wonderful illustration of the work of the mind 



138 RAJA YOGA. 

in building up for itself instruments with which to 
work — to acquire knowledge. 

The ear records vibrations in the air from 20 or 
32 per second, the rate of the lowest audible note, to 
those of 38,000 per second, the rate of the highest 
audible note. There is a great difference in indi- 
viduals in regard to the fineness of the sense of Hear- 
ing. But all may develop this sense by the applica- 
tion of Attention. The animals and savages have 
wonderfully acute senses of Hearing developed only 
along the lines of distinctness, however — on the other 
hand musicians have developed the sense along differ- 
ent lines. 

The sense of Sight is generally conceded to be the 
highest and most complex of all the senses of Man. 
It deals with a far larger number of objects — at 
longer distances — ^and gives a far greater variety of 
reports to the mind than any of its associate senses. 
It is the sense of Touch magnified many times. As 
Wilson says of it, "Our sight may be considered 
as a more delicate and diffusive kind of touch that 
spreads itself over an infinite number of bodies ; com- 
prehends the largest figures, and brings into our 
reach some of the most remote parts of the universe." 

The sense of Sight receives its impressions from 
the outside world by means of waves that travel from 
body to body — from sun to earth, and from lamp to 
eye. These waves of light arise from vibrations in 
substance, of an almost incredible degree of rapidity. 
The lowest light vibration is about 450,000,000,000,- 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 139 

000 per second, while ih% highest is about 750,000,- 
000,000,000 per second. These figures deal only with 
the vibrations recognizable by the eye as light. Above 
and below these figures of the scale are countless 
other degrees invisible to the eye, although some of 
them may be recorded by instruments. The different 
sensations of color, depend upon the rate of the 
vibrations, red being the limit of the lowest, and 
violet the limit of the highest visible vibrations — 
orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo being the in- 
termediate rates or colors. 

The cultivation of the sense of Sight, under the aid 
of Attention is most important to ail persons. By be- 
ing able to clearly see and distinguish the parts of an 
object, a degree of knowledge regarding it is obtained 
that one may not acquire without the said exercise 
of the faculty. We have spoken of this under the 
subject of Attention, in a previous lesson, to which 
lesson we again refer the student. The fixing of 
the eye upon an object has the power of concen- 
trating the thoughts and preventing them from wan- 
dering. The eye has other properties and qualities 
that will be dwelt upon in future lessons. It has other 
uses than seeing. The influence of the eye is a mar- 
velous thing, and may be cultivated and developed. 

We trust that what we have said will bring the stu- 
dent to a realization of the importance of developing 
the powers of Perception. The senses have been de- 
veloped by the mind during a long period of evolu- 
tion and effort that surely would not have been given 



140 RAJA YOGA. 

unless the object in view was worth it all. The "I" 
insists upon obtaining knowledge of the Universe, 
and much of this knowledge may be obtained only 
through the senses. The Yogi student must be 
"wide awake" and possessed of developed senses and 
powers of Perception. The senses of Sight and Hear- 
ing, the two latest in the scale of Evolutionary growth 
and unfoldment, must receive a particular degree of 
attention. The student must make himself "aware" 
of what is going on about and around him, so that 
he may "catch" the best vibrations. 

It would surprise many Westerners if they could 
come in contact with a highly developed Yogi, and 
witness the marvelously finely developed senses he 
possesses. He is able to distinguish the finest differ- 
ences in things, and his mind is so trained that, in 
thought, he may draw conclusions from what he has 
perceived, in a manner that seems almost "second- 
sight" to the uninitiated. In fact, a certain degree of 
second-sight is possible to one who develops his sense 
of Sight, under the urge of Attention. A new world 
is opened out to such a person. One must learn to 
master the senses, not only in the direction of being 
independent of and superior to their urgings, but also 
in the matter of developing them to a high degree. 
The development of the physical senses, also has much 
to do with the development of the "Astral Senses," of 
which we have spoken in our "Fourteen Lessons," and 
of which we may have more to say in the present se- 
ries. The idea of Raja Yoga is to render the student 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 141 

the possessor of a highly developed Mind, with highly- 
developed instruments with which the mind may work. 

In our future lessons we shall give the student 
many illustrations, directions, and exercises calcu- 
lated to develop the different faculties of the mind — 
not only the ordinary faculties of everyday use, but 
others hidden behind these familiar faculties and 
senses. Commencing with the next lesson, we shall 
present a system of exercises, drills, etc., the purpose 
of which will be the above mentioned development of 
the faculties of the Mind. 

In this lesson we shall not attempt to give specific 
exercises, but will content ourselves with calling the 
attention of the student to a few general rules under- 
lying the development of Perception. 

GENERAL RULES OF PERCEPTION. 

The first thing to remember in acquiring the art of 
Perception is that one should not attempt to perceive 
the whole of a complex thing or object at the same 
time, or at once. One should consider the object in 
detail, and then, by grouping the details, he will find 
that he has considered the whole. Let us take the face 
of a person as a familiar object. If one tries to per- 
ceive a face as a whole, he will find that he will meet 
with a certain degree of failure, the impression being 
indistinct and cloudy, it following, also, that the mem- 
ory of that face will correspond with the original per- 
ception. 

But let the observer consider the face in detail. 



142 RAJA YOGA. 

first the eyes, then the nose, then tlie mouth, then the 
chin, then the hair, then the outUne of the face, the 
complexion, etc., and he will find that he will have 
acquired a clear and distinct impression or perception 
of the whole face. 

The same rule may be applied to any subject or ob- 
ject. Let us take another familiar illustration. You 
wish to observe a building. If you simply get a gen- 
eral perception of the building as a whole, you will 
be able to remember very little about it, except its 
general outlines, shape, size, color, etc. And a de- 
scription will prove to be very disappointing. But if 
you have noted, in detail^ the material used, the shape 
of the doors, chimney, roof, porches, decorations, 
trimmings, ornamentation, size and number of the 
window-panes etc., etc., the shape and angles of the 
roof, etc., you will have an intelligent idea of the 
building, in the place of a mere general outline or im- 
pression of such as might be acquired by an animal in 
passing. 

We will conclude this lesson with an anecdote of 
the methods of that famous naturalist Agassiz, in his 
training of his pupils. His pupils became renowned 
for their close powers of observation and perception, 
and their consequent ability to "think" about the 
things they had seen. Many of them rose to eminent 
positions, and claimed that this was largely by rea- 
son of their careful training. 

The tale runs that a new student presented himself 
to Agassiz one day, asking to be set to work. The 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 143 

naturalist took a fish from a jar in which it had 
been preserved, and laying it before the young stu- 
dent bade him observe it carefully, and be ready to 
report upon what he had noticed about the fish. The 
student was then left alone with the fish. There was 
nothing especially interesting about that fish — it was 
like many other fishes that he had seen before. He 
noticed that it had fins and scales, and a mouth and 
eyes, yes, and a tail. In a half hour he felt certain 
that he had observed all about that fish that there was 
to be perceived. But the naturalist remained away. 

The tim.e rolled on, and the youth, having nothing 
else to do, began to grow restless and weary. He 
started out to hunt up the teacher, but he failed to 
find him, and so had to return and gaze again at that 
wearisome fish. Several hours had passed, and he 
knew but little more about the fish than he did in the 
first place. 

He went out to lunch and when he returned it was 
still a case of watching the fish. He felt disgusted 
and discouraged, and wished he had never come to 
Agassiz, whom, it seemed, was a stupid old man after 
all, — one away behind the times. Then, in order to 
kill time, he began to count the scales. This com- 
pleted he counted the spines of the fins. Then he be- 
gan to draw a picture of the fish. In drawing the 
picture he noticed that the fish had no eyelids. He 
thus made the discovery that as his teacher had ex- 
pressed it often, in lectures, "a pencil is the best of 
eyes." Shortly after the teacher returned, and after 



144 RAJA YOGA. 

ascertaining what the youth had observed, he left 
rather disappointed, telHng the boy to keep on looking 
and maybe he would see something. 

This put the boy on his mettle, and he began to 
work with his pencil, putting down little details that 
had escaped him before, but which now seemed very 
plain to him. He began to catch the secret of ob- 
servation. Little by little he brought to light new 
objects of interest about the fish. But this did not 
suffice his teacher, who kept him at work on the same 
fish for three whole days. At the end of that time the 
student really knew something about the fish, and, 
better than all, had acquired the "knack" and habit 
of careful observation and perception in detail. 

Years after, the student, then attained to eminence, 
is reported as saying: "That was the best zoological 
lesson I ever had — a lesson whose influence has ex- 
tended to the details of every subsequent study; a 
legacy that the professor left to me, as he left to many 
others, of inestimable value, which we could not buy, 
and with which we cannot part." 

Apart from the value to the student ci the partic- 
ular information obtained, was the quickening of the 
perceptive faculties, that enabled him to observe the 
important points in a subject or object, and, conse- 
quently to deduce important information from that 
which was observed. The Mind is hungry for knowl- 
edge, and it has by years of weary evolution and effort 
built up a series of sense systems in order to yield it 
that knowledge, and it is still building. The men and 



CULTIVATION OF PERCEPTION. 145 

women in the world who have arrived at the point of 
success have availed themselves of these wonderful 
channels of information, and by directing them under 
the guidance of Will and Attention, have attained 
wonderful results. These things are of importance, 
and we beg of our students not to pass by this por- 
tion of the subject as uninteresting. Cultivate a spirit 
of wide-awakeness and perception, and the "knowing" 
that will come to you will surprise you. 

No only do you develop the existing senses by such 
practice and use, but you help in the unfoldment of the 
latent powers and senses that are striving for unfold- 
ment. By using and exercising the faculties that we 
have, we help to unfold those for the coming of 
which we have been dreaming. 



146 RAJA YOGA. 



MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION). 

I am a Soul, possessed of channels of communica- 
tion with the outer world. I will use these channels, 
and thereby acquire the information and knowledge 
necessary for my mental development. I will exer- 
cise and develop my organs of sense, knov/ing that in 
so doing I shall cause to unfold the higher senses, of 
which they are but forerunners and symbols. I will 
be "wide-awake" and open to the inflow of knowledge 
and information. The Universe is my Home — I will 
explore it. 



THE SEVENTH LESSON. 

The Unfoldment of Consciousness. 

We have thought it well to make a slight change 
in the arrangement of these lessons — that is, in the 
order in which they should appear. We had con- 
templated making this Seventh Lesson a series of 
Mental Drills, intended to develop certain of the men- 
tal faculties, but we have decided to postpone the 
same until a later lesson, believing that by so doing a 
more logical sequence or order of arrangement will 
be preserved. In this lesson we will tell you of the 
unfoldment of consciousness in Man, and in the next 
lesson, and probably in the one following it, we shall 
present to you a clear statement regarding the states 
of mind, below and over consciousness — a most won- 
derful region, we assure you, and one that has been 
greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. This will 
lead up to the subject of the cultivation of the various 
faculties — both conscious and outside of conscious- 
ness, and the series will be concluded by three les- 
sons going right to the heart of this part of the sub- 
ject, and giving certain rules and instruction calcu- 
lated to levelop Man's wonderful "thought-machine" 
that will be of the greatest interest and importance 
to all of our students. When the lessons are con- 

147 



148 RAJA YOGA. 

eluded you will see that the present arrangement is 
most logical and proper. 

In this lesson we take up the subject of "The Un- 
foldment of Consciousness" — a most interesting sub- 
ject. Many of us have been in the habit of identify- 
ing "consciousness" with mind, but as we proceed 
with this series of lessons we will see that that which 
is called "consciousness" is but a small portion of the 
mind of the individual, and even that small part is 
constantly changing its states, and unfolding new 
states undreamed of. 

"Consciousness" is a word we use very often in 
considering the science of the Mind. Let us see what 
it means. Webster defines it as one's "knowledge of 
sensations and mental operations, or of what passes 
in one's own mind." Halleck defines it as "that un- 
definable characteristic of mental states which causes 
one to be aware of them." But, as Halleck states, 
"Consciousness is incapable of definition. To define 
anything we are obliged to describe it in terms of 
something else. And there is nothing else in the 
world like consciousness, hence we can define it only 
in terms of itself, and that is very much like trying 
to lift one's self by one's own boot straps. Conscious- 
ness is one of the greatest mysteries that confronts 
us." 

Before we can understand what Consciousness really 
is, we must know just what "Mind" really is^ — ^and 
that knowledge is lacking, notwithstanding the many 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 149 

ingenious theories evolved in order to explain the 
mystery. The metaphysicians do not throw much 
light on the subject, and as for materialistic science, 
listen to what Huxley says : "How it comes about that 
anything so remarkable as a state of consciousness 
comes about by the result of irritating nervous tissue, 
is just as unaccountable as the appearance of the 
genii when Aladdin rubbed his lamp." 

To many persons the words "consciousness" and 
"mental process," or "thought" are regarded as 
synonymous. And, in fact, psychologists so held until 
quite recently. But now it is generally accepted as a 
fact that mental processes are not limited to the field 
of consciousness, and it is now generally taught that 
the field of sub-consciousness (that is, "under" con- 
scious) mentation, is of a much greater extent than 
that of conscious mentation. 

Not only is it true that the mind can hold in con- 
sciousness but one fact at any one instant, and that, 
consequently, only a very small fraction of our knowl- 
edge can be in consciousness at any one moment, but 
it is also true that the consciousness plays but a very 
small part in the totality of mental processes, or menta- 
tion. The mind is not conscious of the greater por- 
tion of its own activities — Maudsley says that only ten 
per cent comes into the field of consciousness. Taine 
has stated it in these words: "Of the world which 
makes up our being, we only perceive the highest 



I50 RAJA YOGA. 

points — the lighted up peaks of a continent whose 
lower levels remain in the shade." 

But it is not our intention to speak of this great sub- 
conscious region of the mind at this point, for we 
shall have much to do with it later on. It is men- 
tioned here in order to show that the enlargement or 
development of consciousness is not so much a matter 
of "growth" as it is an "unfoldment" — not a new crea- 
tion or enlargement from outside, but rather an un- 
foldment outward from within. 

From the very beginning of Life — among the Parti- 
cles of Inorganic Substance, may be found traces of 
something like Sensation, and response thereto. 
Writers have not cared to give to this phenomenon the 
name of "sensation," or "sensibility," as the terms 
savored too much of "senses," and "sense-organs." 
But Modern Science has not hesitated to bestow the 
names so long withheld. The most advanced scientific 
writers do not hesitate to state that in reaction, chemi- 
cal response, etc., may be seen indications of rudi- 
mentary sensation. Haeckel says : "I cannot imagine 
the simplest chemical and physical process without 
attributing the movement of the material particles to 
unconscious sensation. The idea of Chemical Affinity 
consists in the fact that the various chemical elements 
perceive the qualitative differences in other elements, 
and experience 'pleasure' or 'revulsion' at contacts 
with them, and execute their specific movements on 
this ground." He also speaks of the sensitiveness of 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 151 

"plasm," or the substance of "living bodies," as being 
"only a superior degree of the general irritability of 
substance." 

Chemical reaction, between atoms, is spoken of by 
chemists as a "sensitive" reaction. Sensitiveness is 
found even in the Particles of Inorganic Substance, 
and may be regarded as the first glimmerings of 
thought. Science recognizes this when it speaks of 
the unconscious sensation of the Particles as cethesis or 
"feeling," and the unconscious Will that responds 
thereto, as tropesis, or "inclination." Haeckel says 
of this that "Sensation perceives the dififerent qualities 
of the stimuli, and feeling the quantity," and also, 
"We may ascribe the feeling of pleasure and pain (in 
the contact with qualitatively differing atoms) to all 
atoms, and so explain the elective affinity in chemis- 
try (attraction of loving atoms, inclination; repulsion 
of hating atoms, disinclination). 

It is impossible to form a clear or intelligent idea of 
the phenomenon of chemical affinity, etc., unless we at- 
tribute to the Atoms something akin to Sensation. It 
is likewise impossible to understand the actions of the 
Molecules, unless we think of them as possessing 
something akin to Sensation. The Law of Attraction 
is based upon Mental States in Substance. The re- 
sponse of Inorganic Substance to Electricity and Mag- 
netism is also another evidence of Sensation and the 
response thereto. 

In the movements and operations of crystal-life we 



152 RAJA YOGA. 

obtain evidences of still a little higher forms of Sensa- 
tion and response thereto. The action of crystallization 
is very near akin to that of some low forms of plas- 
mic action. In fact, the "missing link" between plant 
life and the crystals is claimed to have been found in 
some recent discoveries of Science, the connection 
being found in certain crystals in the interior of plants, 
composed of carbon combinations, and resembling the 
inorganic crystals in many ways. 

Crystals grow along certain lines and forms up to a 
certain size. Then they begin to form "baby-crystals" 
on their surfaces, which then take on the growth — the 
processes being almost analogous to cell-life. Processes 
akin to fermentation have been detected among chemi- 
cals. In many ways it may be seen that the beginning 
of Mental Life must be looked for among the Min- 
erals and Particles — the latter, be it remembered, com- 
posing not only inorganic, but also Organic Substance. 

As we advance in the scale of life, we are met with 
constantly increasing unfoldment of mentation, the 
simple giving place to the complex manifestations. 
Passing by the simple vital processes of the monera, 
or single-celled "things," we notice the higher forms 
of cell life, with growing sensibility or sensation. Then 
we come to the cell-groups, in which the individual 
cells manifest sensation of a kind, coupled with a com- 
munity-sensation. Food is distinguished, selected and 
captured, and movements exercised in pursuit of the 
same. The living thing is beginning to manifest more 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 153 

complex mental states. Then the stage of the lower 
plants is reached, and we notice the varied phenomena 
of that region, evidencing an increased sensitiveness, 
although there are practically no signs of special 
organs of sense. Then we pass on to the higher plant 
life, in which begin to manifest certain "sensitive- 
cells," or groups of such cells, which are rudimentary- 
sense organs. Then the forms of animal life, and con- 
sidered with rising degrees of sensations and growing 
sense apparatus, or sense organs, gradually unfolding 
into something like nervous systems. 

Among the lower animal forms there are varying 
degrees of mentation with accompanying nerve cen- 
ters and sense-organs, but little or no signs of con- 
sciousness, gradually ascending until we have dawn- 
ing consciousness in the reptile kingdom, etc., and 
fuller consciousness and a degree of intelligent thought 
in the still higher forms, gradually increasing until we 
reach the plane of the highest mammals, such as the 
horse, dog, elephant, ape, etc., which animals have 
complex nervous systems, brains and well developed 
consciousness. We need not further consider the 
forms of mentation in the forms of life below the Con- 
scious stage, for that would carry us far from our sub- 
ject. 

Among the higher forms of animal life, after a 
"dawn period" or semi-consciousness, we come to 
forms of Hfe among the lower animals possessing a 
well developed degree of mental action and Conscious- 



154 RAJA YOGA. 

ness, the latter being called by psychologists "Simple 
Consciousness," but which term we consider too indefi- 
nite, and which we will term "Physical Conscious- 
ness," which will give a fair idea of the thing itself. 
We use the word "Physical" in the double sense of 
"External," and "Relating to the material structure of 
a living being," both of which definitions are found 
in the dictionaries. And that is just what Physical 
Consciousness really is — an "awareness" in the mind, or 
a "consciousness" of the "external" world as evidenced 
by the senses ; and of the "body" of the animal or per- 
son. The animal or person thinking on the plane of 
Physical Consciousness (all the higher animals do, 
and many men seem unable to rise much higher) 
identifies itself with the physical body, and is con- 
scious only of thoughts of that body and the outside 
world. It "knows," but not being conscious of mental 
operations, or of the existence of its mind, it does not 
"know that it knows." This form of consciousness, 
while infinitely above the mentation of the non- 
conscious plane of "sansation," is like a different world 
of thought from the consciousness of the highly de- 
veloped intellectual man of our age and race. 

It is difficult for a man to form an idea of the 
Physical Consciousness of the lower animals and sav- 
ages, particularly as he finds it difficult to understand 
his own consciousness except by the act of being con- 
scious. But observation and reason have given us 
a fair degree of understanding of what this Physical 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 155 

Consciousness of the animal is like — or at least in what 
respect it differs from our own consciousness. Let us 
take a favorite illustration. A horse standing out in 
the cold sleet and rain undoubtedly feels the discom- 
fort, and possibly pain, for we know by observation 
that animals feel both. But he is not able to analyze 
his mental states and wonder when his master will 
come out to him — think how cruel it is to keep him 
out of the warm stable — wonder whether he will be 
taken out in the cold again tomorrow — feel envious 
of other horses who are indoors — wonder why he is 
compelled to be out cold nights, etc., etc., — in short, he 
does not think as would a reasoning man under such 
circumstances. He is aware of the discomfort, just as 
would be the man — and he would run home if he could 
just as would the man. But he is not able to pity 
himself, nor to think about his personality as would 
the man, nor does he wonder whether such a life is 
worth living, after all. He "knows," but is not able 
to think of himself as knowing — he does not "know 
that he knows," as we do. He experiences the physi- 
cal pain and discomfort, but is spared the mental dis- 
comfort and concern arising from the physical, which 
man so often experiences. 

The animal cannot shift its consciousness from the 
sensations of the outer world to the inner states of 
being. It is not able to "know itself." The difference > 
may be clumsily illustrated by the example of a man 
feeling, seeing or hearing something that gives him 



156 RAJA YOGA. 

a pleasurable sensation, or the reverse. He is con- 
scious of the feeling or sensation, and that it is pleas- 
urable or otherwise. That is Physical Consciousness, 
and the animal may share it with him. But it stops 
right there with the animal. But the man may begin 
to wonder ivhy the sensation is pleasurable and to asso- 
ciate it with other things and persons; or speculate 
why he dislikes it, what will follow, and so on — that 
is Mental Consciousness, because he recognizes an in- 
ward self, and is turning his attention inimrd. He 
may see another man and experience a feeling or sensa- 
tion of attraction or aversion — like or dislike. This is 
Physical Consciousness, and an animal also may ex- 
perience the sensation. But the man goes further than 
the animal, and wonders just what there is about the 
man he likes or detests, and may compare himself to 
the man and wonder whether the latter feels as he 
does, and so on — this is Mental Consciousness. 

In animals the mental gaze is freely directed out- 
ward, and never returns upon itself. In man the men- 
tal gaze may be directed inward, or may return inward 
after its outward journey. The animal "knows" — 
the man not only "knows," but he "knows that he 
knows," and is able to investigate that "knowing" and 
speculate about it. We call this higher consciousness 
Mental Consciousness. The operation of Physical 
Consciousness we call Instinct — the operation of Men- 
tal Consciousness we call Reason. 

The Man who has Mental Consciousness not only 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 157 

"feels" or "senses" things, but he has words or mental 
concepts of these feelings and sensations and may 
think of himself as experiencing them, separating him- 
self, the sensation or feeling, and the thing felt or 
sensed. The man is able to think: "I feel; I hear; I 
see ; I smell ; I taste ; I desire ; I do," etc., etc. The very 
words indicate Mental 'Consciousness recognizing 
mental states and giving them names, and also recog- 
nizing something called "I" that experiences the sen- 
sations. This latter fact has caused psychologists to 
speak of this stage as "Self-consciousness," but we re- 
serve this idea of the "I" consciousness for a higher 
stage. 

The animal experiences something that gives it the 
impressions or feeling that we call "pain," "hurt," 
"pleasant," "sweet," "bitter," etc., all being forms of 
sensation, but it is unable to think of them in words. 
The pain seems to be a part of itself, although possi- 
bly associated with some person or thing that caused 
it. The study of the unfoldment of consciousness in a 
young baby will give one a far better idea of the 
grades and distinctions than can be obtained from 
reading mere words. 

Mental Consciousness is a growth. As Halleck says, 
"Many persons never have more than a misty idea of 
such a mental attitude. They always take themselves 
for granted, and never turn the gaze inward." It has 
been doubted whether the savages have developed 
Self-consciousness, and even many men of our own 



158 RAJA YOGA. 

race seem to be but little above the animals in intellect 
and consciousness. They do not seem able to "know 
themselves" even slightly. To them the 'T" seems to 
be a purely physical thing — a body having desires and 
feeling but little more. They are able to feel an 
act, but scarcely more. They are not able to set 
aside any physical "not — I," being utterly unable to 
think of themselves as anything else but a Body. The 
"I" and the Body are one with them, and they seem 
incapable of distinguishing between them. 

Then comes another stage in which mental-con- 
sciousness proper sets in. The man begins to realize 
that he has "a mind." He is able to "know himself" as 
a mental being, and to turn the gaze inward a little. 
This period of development may be noticed in young 
children. For a time they speak of themselves as a 
third person, until finally they begin to say "I." Then 
a little later comes the ability to know their own men- 
tal states as such — they know that they have a mind, 
and are able to distinguish between it and the body. 
It is related that some children experience a feeling of 
terror when they pass into this stage. They exhibit 
signs of bashfulness and what is commonly termed 
"self-consciousness" in that sense. Some tell us in 
after years that when they became aware of them- 
selves as an entity they were overcome with alarm, 
as if by a sense of loneliness and apartness from the 
Universe. Young people often feel this way for sev- 
eral years. There seems to be a distinct feeling that 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 159 

the Universe is antagonistic to and set apart from 
them. 

And, although this feeling of separateness and 
apartness grows less acute as the man grows older, yet 
it is always present to a greater or less degree until 
a still higher stage — the Ego-consciousness is reached, 
when it disappears as we shall see. And this mental- 
conscious stage is a hard one for many. They are 
entangled in a mass of mental states which the man 
thinks is "himself," and the struggle between the real 
'T" and its confining sheaths is painful. And it be- 
comes still more painful as the end is neared, for as 
man advances in mental-consciousness and knowledge 
he feels more keenly and suffers accordingly. Man 
eats the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and begins to 
suffer, and is driven out of the Garden of Eden of the 
child and primitive races, who live like the birds of 
the air and concern themselves not about mental states 
and problems. But there is deliverance ahead in the 
shape of a higher consciousness, although but few 
realize it and still fewer have gained it. Perhaps this 
lesson may point out the way for you. 

With the birth of mental-consciousness comes the 
knowledge that there is a mind in others. Man is 
able to speculate and reason about the mental states 
of other men, because he recognizes these states with- 
in himself. As man advances in the Mental Con- 
sciousness he begins to develop a constantly increasing 
degree and grade of Intellect, and accordingly he at- 



i6o RAJA YOGA. 

taches the greatest importance to that part pf his 
nature. Some men worship Intellect as a God, ignor- 
ing its limitations which other thinkers have pointed 
out. Such people are apt to reason that because the 
human intellect (in its present state of development) 
reports that such a thing must be, or cannot possibly 
be, that the matter is forever settled. They ignore the 
fact that it is possible that Man's Intellect, in its pres- 
ent state of unfoldment, may be able to take cognizance 
of only a very small part of the Universal Fact, and 
that there may be regions upon regions of Reality and 
Fact of which he cannot even dream, so far are they 
removed from his experience. The unfoldment of a 
new sense would open out a new world and might 
bring to light facts that would completely revolutionize 
our entire world of conceptions by reason of the new 
information it would give us. 

But, nevertheless, from this Mental Consciousness 
has come the wonderful work of Intellect, as shown in 
the achievements of Man up to this time, and while we 
must recognize its limitations, we gladly join in sing- 
ing its praises. Reason is the tool with which Man is 
digging into the mine of Facts, bringing to light new 
treasures every day. This stage of Mental Conscious- 
ness is bringing to Man knowledge of himself — 
knowledge of the Universe — that is well worth the 
price he pays for it. For Man does pay a price for 
entrance into this stage — and he pays an increasing 
' price as he advances in its territory, for the higher he 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. i6i 

advances the more keenly he feels and suffers, as well 
as enjoys. Capacity for pain is the price Man pays 
for Attainment, up to a certain stage. His pam passes 
from the Physical to the Mental consciousness, and 
he becomes aware of problems that he never (ft-eamt 
existed, and the lack of an intelligent answer produces 
mental suffering. And the mental suffering that comes 
to him from unsatisfied longings, disappointment, the 
pain of others whom he loves, etc., is far worse than 
any physical suffering. 

The animal lives its animal life and is contented, for 
it knows no better. If it has enough to eat — a place to 
sleep — a mate — it is happy. And some men are like- 
wise. But others find themselves involved in a world 
of mental discom.fort. New wants arise, and the lack 
of satisfaction brings pain. Civilization becomes more 
and more complex, and brings its new pains as well as 
new pleasures. Man attaches himself to "things," and 
each day creates for himself artificial wants, which he 
must labor to meet. His Intellect may not lead him 
upward, but instead may merely enable him to invent 
new and subtle means and ways of gratifying his 
senses to a degree impossible to the animals. Some 
men make a religion of the gratification of their sen- 
suality — their appetites — and become beasts magnified 
by the power of Intellect. Others become vain, con- 
ceited and puffed up with a sense of the importance of 
their Personality (the false "I"). Others become mor- 
bidly introspective, and spend their time analyzing and 



i62 RAJA YOGA. 

dissecting their moods, motives, feelings, etc. Others 
exhaust their capacity for pleasure and happiness, but 
looking outside for it instead of within, and become 
blase, bored, ennuied and an affliction to themselves. 
We mention these things not in a spirit of Pessimism, 
but merely to show that even this great Mental Con- 
sciousness has a reverse and ugly side as well as the 
bright face that has been ascribed to it. 

As man reaches the higher stages of this Mental 
Consciousness, and the next higher stage begins to 
dawn upon him, he is apt to feel more keenly than 
ever the insufficiency of Life as it appears to him. He 
is unable to understand Himself — his origin, destiny, 
purpose and nature — and he chafes against the bars of 
the cage of Intellect in which he is confined. He asks 
himself the question, "Whence come I — Whither go I 
— What is the object of my Existence?" He becomes 
dissatisfied with the answers the world has to give him 
to these questions, and he cries aloud in despair — and 
but the answer of his own voice comes back to him 
from the impassable walls with which he is surrounded. 
He does not realize that his answer must come from 
Within — but so it is. 

Psychology stops when it reaches the limits of Men- 
tal Consciousness, or as it calls it "Self-Conscious- 
ness," and denies that there is anything beyond — any 
unexplored regions of the Mind. It laughs at the re- 
ports that come from those who have penetrated far- 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 163 

ther within the recesses of their being, and dismisses 
the reports as mere "dreams," "fantasies," "illusions," 
"ecstatic imaginings," "abnormal states," etc., etc. 
But, nevertheless, there are schools of thought that 
teach of these higher states, and there are men of all 
ages and races that have entered them and have re- 
ported concerning them.. And we feel justiiied in ask- 
ing you to take them into consideration. 

There are two planes of Consciousness, of which we 
feel it proper to speak, for we have obtained more or 
less information regarding them. There are still 
higher planes, but they belong to higher phases of life 
than are dealt with here. 

The first of these planes or states of Consciousness, 
above the "Self-Consciousness" of the psychologists 
(which we have called "Mental Consciousness") may 
be called "Ego-consciousness," for it brings an 
"awareness" of the Reality of the Ego. This "aware- 
ness" is far above the Self-consciousness of the man 
who is able to distinguish "1" from "You," and to give 
it a name. And far above the consciousness that en- 
ables a man, as he rises in the scale, to distinguish the 
"I" from faculty after faculty of the mind, which he 
is able to recognize as "not — I," until he finds left a 
mental something that he cannot set aside, which he 
calls "F' — although this stage alone is very much 
higher than that of the average of the race, and is a 
high degree of Attainment itself. It is akin to this 
last stage, and yet still fuller and more complete. In 



i64 RAJA YOGA. 

the dawning of Ego Consciousness the "I" recognizes 
itself still more clearly and, more than this, is fully 
imbued with a sense and "awareness" of its own 
Reality, unknown to it before. This awareness is not 
a mere matter of reasoning — it is a "consciousness," 
just as is Physical Consciousness and Mental Con- 
sciousness something different from an "intellectual 
conviction." It is a Knowing, not a Thinking or Be- 
lieving. The "I" knows that it is Real — that it has its 
roots in the Supreme Reality underlying all the Uni- 
verse, and partakes of its Essence. It does not know 
what this Reality is, but it knows that it is Real, and 
something different from anything in the world of 
name, form, number, time, space, cause and effect — 
something Transcendental and surpassing all human 
experience. And knowing this, it knows that it cannot 
be destroyed or hurt ; cannot die, but is immortal ; 
and that there is Something which is the very essence 
of Good behind of, underneath and even in itself. 
And in this certainty and consciousness is there Peace, 
Understanding and Power. When it fully bursts upon 
one, Doubt, Fear, Unrest and Dissatisfaction drop 
from him like wornout garments and he finds himself 
clothed in the Faith that Knows ; Fearlessness ; Rest- 
fulness; Satisfaction. Then he is able to say under- 
standingly and with meaning "I AM." 

This Ego Consciousness is coming to many as a 
dawning knowledge — the light is just rising from be- 
hind the hills. To others it has come gradually and 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 165 

slowly, but fully, and they now live in the full light of 
the consciousness. Others it has burst upon like a 
flash, or vision — like a light falling from the clear sky, 
almost blinding them at first, but leaving them changed 
men and women, possessed of that something that can- 
not be understood by or described to those who have 
not experienced it. This last stage is called "Illumina- 
tion" in one of its forms. 

The man of the Ego Consciousness may not under- 
stand the Riddle of the Universe or be able to give an 
answer to the great Questions of Life — but he has 
ceased to worry about them — they now disturb him 
not. He may use his intellect upon them as before, 
but never with the feeling that in their intellectual 
solution rests his happiness or peace of mind. He 
knows that he stands on solid rock, and though the 
storms of the world of matter and force may beat 
upon him, he will not be hurt. This and other things 
he knows. He cannot prove these things to others, 
for they are not demonstrable by argument — he him- 
self did not get them in that way. And so he says but 
little about it — but lives his life as if he knew them 
not, so far as outward appearances go. But inwardly 
he is a changed man — ^his life is different from that of 
his brothers, for while their souls are wrapped in slum- 
ber or are tossing in troubled dreams, his Soul has 
awakened and is gazing upon the world with bright 
and fearless eyes. There are, of course, different 
stages or degrees of this Consciousness, just as there 



i66 RAJA YOGA. 

art in the lower planes of consciousness. Some have 
it to a slight degree, while others have it fully. Per- 
haps this lesson will tell some of its readers just what 
is the thing that has "happened" to them and which 
they hesitate to speak of to their closest friend or life 
companion. To others it may open the way to a fuller 
realization. We sincerely trust so, for one does not 
begin to Live until he knows the "I" as Reality. 

There is a stage still higher than this last mentioned, 
but it has come to but very few of the race. Reports 
of it come from all times, races, countries. It has been 
called "Cosmic Consciousness," and is described as an 
awareness of the Oneness of Life — that is, a conscious- 
ness that the Universe is filled with One Life — an 
actual perception and "awareness" that the Universe 
is full of Life, Motion and Mind, and that there is 
no such thing as Blind Force, or Dead Matter, but 
that All is alive, vibrating and intelligent. That is, of 
course, that the Real Universe, w^hich is the Essence 
or background of the Universe of Matter, Energy and 
Mind, is as they describe. In fact, the description of 
those who have had glimpses of this state would indi- 
cate that they see the Universe as All Mind — that All 
is Mind at the last. This form of consciousness has 
been experienced by men here and there — only a few — 
in moments of "Illumination," the period lasting but 
a very short space of time, then fading away, leaving 
but a memory. In the moment of the "Illumination" 
there came to those experiencing it a sense of "in- 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 167 

touch-ness" with Universal Knowledge and Life, im- 
possible to describe, accompanied by a Joy beyond un- 
derstanding. 

Regarding this last, "Cosmic Consciousness," we 
would state that it means more than an intellectual 
conviction, belief or realization of the facts as stated, 
for an actual vision and consciousness of these things 
came in the moment of Illumination. Some others re- 
port that they have a deep abiding sense of the reality 
of the facts described by the report of the Illumined, 
but have not experienced the "vision" or ecstasy re- 
ferred to. These last people seem to have with them 
always the same mental state as that possessed by 
those who had the "vision" and passed out of it, car- 
rying with them the remembrance and feeling, but 
not the actual consciousness attained at the moment. 
They agree upon the essential particulars of the re- 
ports. Dr. Maurice Bucke, now passed out of this 
plane of life, wrote a book entitled "Cosmic Con- 
sciousness," in which he describes a number of these 
cases, including his own, Walt Whitman's and others, 
and in which he holds that this stage of consciousness 
is before the race and will gradually come to it in the 
future. He holds that the manifestation of it which 
has come to some few of the race, as above stated, is 
but the first beams of the sun which are flashing upon 
us and which are but prophecies of the appearance of 
the great body of light itself. 

We shall not here consider at length the reports of 



1 68 RAJA YOGA. 

certain great religious personages of the past, who 
have left records that in moments of great spiritual 
exaltation they became conscious of "being in the 
presence of the Absolute," or perhaps within the radius 
of "the light of Its countenance." We have great re- 
spect for these reports, and have every reason for be- 
lieving many of them authentic, notwithstanding the 
conflicting reports that have been handed down to us 
by those experiencing them. These reports are con- 
flicting because of the fact that the minds of those who 
had these glimpses of consciousness were not prepared 
or trained to fully understand the nature of the 
phenomena. They found themselves in the spiritual 
presence of Something of awful grandeur and spiritual 
rank, and were completely dazed and bewildered at the 
sight. They did not understand the nature of the 
Absolute, and when they had sufficiently recovered 
they reported that they had been in the "presence of 
God" — the word "God" meaning their particular con- 
ception of Deity — that is, the one appearing as Deity 
in their own particular religious creed or school. They 
saw nothing to cause them to identify this Something 
with their particular conception of Deity, except that 
they thought that "it must be God," and knowing no 
other God except their own particular conception, they 
naturally identifying the Something with "God" as 
they conceived Him to be. And their reports naturally 
were along these lines. 

Thus the reports of all religions are filled with ac- 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 169 

counts of the so-called miraculous occurrences. The 
Catholic saint reports that he "saw of light of God's 
countenance," and the non-Catholic reports likewise 
regarding God as he knows him. The Mohammedan 
reports that he caught a glimpse of the face of Allah, 
and the Buddhist tells us that he saw Buddha under 
the tree. The Brahman has seen the face of Brahma, 
and the various Hindu sects have men who give simi- 
lar reports regarding their own particular deities. The 
Persians have given similar reports, and even the 
ancient Egyptians have left records of similar oc- 
currences. These conflicting reports have led to the 
belief, on the part of those who did not understand 
the nature of the phenomena, that these things were 
"all imagination" and fancy, if indeed not rank false- 
hood and imposture. But the Yogis know better than 
this. They know that underneath all these varying re- 
ports there is a common ground of truth, which will 
be apparent to anyone investigating the matter. They 
know that all of these reports (except a few based 
upon fraudulent imitation of the real phenomenon) 
are based upon truth and are but the bewildered re- 
ports of the various observers. They know that these 
people were temporarily lifted above the ordinary 
plane of consciousness and were made aware of the 
existence of a Being or Beings higher than mortal. It 
does not follow that they saw "God" or the Absolute, 
for there are many Beings of high spiritual growth 
and development that would appear to the ordinary 



I70 RAJA YOGA. 

mortal as a very God. The Catholic doctrine of 
Angels and Arch-angels is corroborated by those 
among the Yogis who have been "behind the Veil," 
and they give us reports of the "Devas" and other ad- 
vanced Beings. So the Yogi accepts these reports of 
the various mystics, saints and inspired ones, and 
accounts for them all by laws perfectly natural to the 
students of the Yogi Philosophy, but which appear as 
supernatural to those who have not studied along these 
lines. 

But we cannot speak further of this phase of the 
subject in this lesson, for a full discussion of it would 
lead us far away from the phase of the general subject 
before us. But we wish to be understood as saying 
that there are certain centers in the mental being of 
Man from which may come light regarding the exist- 
ence of the Absolute and higher order of Beings. In 
fact, from these centers come to man that part of his 
mental "feelings" that he calls "the religious instinct 
or intuition." Man does not arrive at that underlying 
consciousness of "Something Beyond" by means of his 
Intellect — it is the glimmer of light coming from the 
higher centers of the Self. He notices these gleams 
of light, but not understanding them, he proceeds to 
erect elaborate theological and creedal structures to ac- 
count for them, the work of the Intellect, however, 
always lacking that "feeling" that the intuition itself 
possesses. True religion, no matter under what name 
it may masquerade, comes from the "heart" and is not 



UNFOLDMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 171 

comforted or satisfied with these Intellectual explana- 
tions, and hence comes that unrest and craving for 
satisfaction which comes to Man when the light begins 
to break through. 

But we must postpone a further discussion of this 
part of the subject for the present. We shall consider 
it again in a future lesson in connection with other 
matters. As we have said, our next two lessons will 
take upon the inquiry regarding the regions outside of 
the consciousness of the ordinary man. You will find 
it a most fascinating and instructive inquiry and one 
that will open up new fields of thought for many of 
vou. 



172 RAJA YOGA. 



MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION.) 



manifestation of REALITY. I AM, 



i 



I Am a Being far greater and grander than I have 
as yet conceived. I am unfolding gradually but surely 
into higher planes of consciousness. I am moving 
Forward and Upward constantly. My goal is the 
Realization of the True Self, and I welcome each stage 
of Unfoldment that leads me toward my aim. I am a J 



i 



THE EIGHTH LESSON. 

The Highlands and Lowlands of Mind. 

The Self of each of us has a vehicle of expression 
which we call the Mind, but which vehicle is much 
larger and far more complex than we are apt to real- 
ize. As a writer has said "Our Self is greater than 
we know ; it has peaks above, and lowlands below 
the plateau of our conscious experience." That which 
we know as the "conscious mind" is not the Soul. 
The Soul is not a part of that which we know in con- 
sciousness, but, on the contrary, that which we know 
in consciousness is but a small part of the Soul — 
the conscious vehicle of a greater Self, or "I." 

The Yogis have always taught that the mind has 
many planes of manifestation and action — and that 
m.any of its planes operated above and below the 
plane of consciousness. Western science is beginning 
to realize this fact, and its theories regarding same 
may be found in any of the later works on psychology. 
But this is a matter of recent development in Western 
science. Until very recently the text books held that 
Consciousness and Mind were synonymous, and that 
the Mind was conscious of all of its activities, changes 
and modifications. 

Liebnitz Avas one of the first Western philosophers 
to advance the idea that there were planes of mental 
activity outside of the plane of consciousness, and 

173 



174 RAJA YOGA. 

since his time the Itading thinkers have slowly but 
surely moved forward to his position. 

At the present time it is generally conceded that 
at least ninety per cent of our mental operations take 
place in the out-of-conscious realm. Prof. Elmer 
Gates, the well known scientist, has said : "At least 
ninety per cent of our mental life is sub-conscious. 
If you will analyze your mental operations you will 
find that conscious thinking is never a continuous 
line of consciousness, but a series of conscious data 
with great intervals of subconscious. We sit and try 
to solve a problem, and fail. We walk around, try 
again, and fail. Suddenly an idea dawns that leads 
to the solution of. the problem. The subconscious 
processes were at work. W^e do not volitionally cre- 
ate our own thinking. It takes place in us. We are 
more or less passive recipients. We cannot change 
the nature of a thought, or of a truth, but we can, as 
it were, guide the ship by a moving of the helm. Our 
mentation is largely the result of the great Cosmic 
Whole upon us." 

Sir William Hamilton says that the sphere of our 
consciousness is only a small circle in the center of 
a far wider sphere of action and thought, of which 
we are conscious through its effects. 

Taine says : "Outside of a little luminous circle, lies 
a large ring of twilight, and beyond this an indefinite 
night; but the events of this twilight and this night 
are as real as those within the luminous circle." 

Sir Oliver Lodge, the eminent English scientist, 



THE MIND. 175 

speaking of the planes of the mind, says I "Imagine an 
iceberg glorying in its crisp solidity, and sparkling 
pinnacles, resenting attention paid to its submerged 
self, or supporting region, or to the saline liquid out 
of which it arose, and into which in due course it 
will some day return. Or, reversing the metaphor, we 
might liken our present state to that of the hulls 01 
ships submerged in a dim ocean among strange mon- 
sters, propelled in a blind manner through space ; 
proud perhaps of accumulating many barnacles as 
decoration ; only recognizing our destination by bump- 
ing against the dock- wall ; and with no cognizance of 
the deck and cabins above us, or the spars and sails 
— ^no thought of the sextant, and the compass, and 
the captain — no perception of the lookout on the mast 
— of the distant horizon. With no vision of objects 
far ahead — dangers to be avoided — destinations to 
be reached — other ships to be spoken to by means 
other than by bodily contact — a region of sunshine 
and cloud, of space, or perception, and of intelligence 
utterly inaccessible to parts below the waterline." 

We ask our students to read carefully the above 
expression of Sir Oliver Lodge, for it gives one of 
the clearest and most accurate figures of the actual 
state of affairs concerning the mental olanes that we 
have seen in Western writings. 

And other Western writers have noted and spoken 
of these out-of-conscious realms. Lewes has said: 
"It is very certain that in every conscious volition- — 
every act that is so characterized — the larger part of 



176 RAJA YOGA. 

it is quite unconscious. It is equally certain that in 
every perception there are unconscious processes of 
reproduction and inference. There is a middle dis- 
tance of sub-consciousness, and a background of un- 
consciousness." 

Taine has told us that: "Mental events impercept- 
ible to consciousness are far more numerous than 
the others, and of the world that makes up our being 
we only perceive the highest points — the lighted-up 
peaks of a continent whose lower levels remain in 
the shade. Beneath ordinary sensations are their com- 
ponents, that is to say, the elementary sensations, 
which must be combined into groups to reach our 
consciousnes." 

Maudsley says : "Examine closely and without bias 
the ordinary mental operations of daily life, and you 
will find that consciousness has not one-tenth part of 
the function therein which it is commonly assumed 
to have. In every conscious state there are at work 
conscious, sub-conscious, and infra-conscious energies, 
the last as indispensable as the first." 

Oliver Wendall Holmes said : "There are thoughts 
that never emerge into consciousness, which yet make 
their influence felt among the perceptible mental cur- 
rents, just as the unseen planets sway the movements 
of those that are watched and mapped by the astron- 
omer." 

Many other writers have given us examples and 
instances of the operation of the out-of-consciousness 
planes of thought. One has written that when the 



THE MIND. 177 

solution of a problem he had long vainly dealt with, 
flashed across his mind, he trembled as if in the pres- 
ence of another being who had communicated a se- 
cret to him. All of us have tried to remember a name 
or similar thing without success, and have then dis- 
missed the matter from our minds, only to have the 
missing name or thought suddenly presented to our 
conscious mind a few minutes, or hours, afterwards. 
Something in our mind was at work hunting up the 
missing word, and when it found it it presented it 
to us. 

A writer has mentioned what he called "uncon- 
scious rumination," which happened to him when he 
read books presenting new points of view essentially 
opposed to his previous opinions. After days, weeks, 
or months, he found that to his great astonishment 
the old opinions were entirely rearranged, and new 
ones lodged there. Many examples of this uncon- 
scious mental digestion and assimilation are men- 
tioned in the books on the subject written during the 
past few years. 

It is related of Sir W. R. Hamilton that he discov- 
ered quarternions one day while walking with his 
wife in the observatory at Dublin, He relates that he 
suddenly felt "the galvanic circle of thought" close, 
and the sparks that fell from it was the fundamental 
mathematical relations of his problem, which is now 
an important law in mathematics. 

Dr. Thompson has written : "At times I have had 
a feeling of the uselessness of all voluntary effort, and 



178 RAJA YOGA. 

also that the matter was working itself clear in my 
mind. It has many times seemed to me that I was 
really a passive instrument in the hands of a person 
not myself. In view of having to wait for the results 
of these unconscious processes, I have proved the 
habit of getting together material in advance, and 
then leaving the mass to digest itself till I am ready 
to write about it. I delayed for a month the writing 
of my book 'System of Psychology,' but continued 
reading the authorities. I would not try to think 
about the book. I would watch with interest the peo- 
ple passing the windows. One evening when reading 
the paper, the substance of the missing part of the 
book flashed upon my mind, and I began to write. 
This is only a sample of many such experiences." 

Berthelot, the founder of Synthetic Chemistry has 
said that the experiments leading to his wonderful dis- 
coveries have never been the result of carefully fol- 
lowed trains of thought — of pure reasoning processes 
— but have come of themselves, so to speak, from the 
clear sky. 

Mozart has written: "I cannot really say that I 
can account for my compositions. My ideas flow, and 
I cannot say whence or how they come. I do not 
hear in my imagination the parts successively, but 
I hear them, as it were, all at once. The rest is 
merely an attem.pt to reproduce what I have heard." 

Dr. Thompson, above mentioned, has also said: "In 
writing this work I have been unable to arrange my 
knowledge of a subject for days and weeks, until I 



THE MIND. 179 

experienced a clearing up of my mind, when I took 
my pen and unhesitatingly wrote the result. I have 
best accomplished this by leading the (conscious) 
mind as far away as possible from the subject upon 
which I was writing." 

Prof. Barrett says : "The mysteriousnes of our be- 
ing is not confined to subtle physiological processes 
which we have in common with all animal life. There 
are higher and more capacious powers wrapped up 
in our human personality than are expressed even 
by what we know of consciousness, will, or reason. 
There are supernormal and transcendental powers 
of which, at present, we only catch occasional 
glim.pses ; and behind and beyond the supernormal 
there are fathomless abysses, the Divine ground of the 
soul; the ultimate reality of which our consciousness 
is but the reflection or faint perception. Into such 
lofty themes I do not propose to enter, they must be 
forever beyond the scope of human inquiry ; nor is 
it possible within the limits of this paper to give any 
adequate conception of those mysterious regions of 
our complex personality, which are open to, and be- 
ginning to be disclosed by, scientific investigation." 

Rev. Dr. Andrew Murray has written : "Deeper 
down than where the soul with its consciousness can 
enter there is spirit matter linking m.an with God; 
and deeper down than the mind and feelings or will 
— in the unseen depths of the hidden life — there dwells 
the Spirit of God." This testimony is remarkable, 
coming from that source, for it corroborates and re- 



i8o RAJA YOGA. 

iterates the Yogi teachings of the Indwelling Spirit. 

Schofield has written: "Our conscious mind, as 
compared with the unconscious mind, has been lik- 
ened to the visible spectrum of the sun's rays, as com- 
pared to the invisible part which stretches indefinitely 
on either side. We know now that the chief part of 
heat comes from the ultra-red rays that show no light ; 
and the main part of the chemical changes in the vege- 
table world are the results of the ultra-violet rays 
at the other end of the spectrum, which are equally 
invisible to the eye, and are recognized only by their 
potent effects. Indeed as these invisible rays extend 
indefinitely on both sides of the visible spectrum, so 
we may say that the mind includes not only the visi- 
ble or conscious part, and what we have termed the 
sub-conscious, that which lies below the red line, but 
the supraconscious mind that lies at the other end — 
all thoGe regions of higher soul and spirit life, of which 
we are only at times vaguely conscious, but which al- 
ways exist, and link us on to eternal verities, on the 
one side, as surely as the sub-conscious mind links us 
to the body on the other." 

We know that our students will appreciate the above 
testimony of Dr. Schofield, for it is directly in the line 
of our teachings in the Yogi Philosophy regarding 
the Planes of the Mind (see "Fourteen Lessons"). 

We feel justified in quoting further from Dr. Scho- 
field, for he voices in the strongest manner that which 
the Yogi Philosophy teaches as fundamental truths 
regarding the mind, Dr. Schofield is an English 



THE MIND. i8i 

writer on Psychology, and so far as we know has no 
tendency toward occultism, his views having been 
arrived at by careful scientific study and investigation 
along the lines of Western psychology, which renders 
his testimony all the more valuable, showing as it 
does, how the human mind will instinctively find its 
way to the Truth, even if it has to blaze a new trail 
through the woods, departing from the beaten tracks 
of other minds around it, which lack the courage or 
enterprise to strike out for themselves. 

Dr. Schofield writes : "The mind, indeed, reaches all 
the way, and while on the one hand it is inspired by the 
Almighty, on the other it energizes the body, all 
whose purposive life it originates. We may call the 
supra-conscious mind the sphere of the spirit life, the 
sub-conscious the sphere of the body life, and the 
conscious mind the middle region where both meet." 

Continuing, Dr. Schofield says : "The Spirit of God 
is said to dwell in believers, and yet, as we have seen. 
His presence is not the subject of direct consciousness. 
We would include, therefore, in the supra-conscious, 
all such spiritual ideas, together with conscience — ^the 
voice of God, as Max Muller calls it — which is surely 
a half-conscious faculty. Moreover, the supra-con- 
scious, Hke the sub-conscious, is, as we have said, best 
apprehended when the conscious mind is not active. 
Visions, meditations, prayers, and even dreams have 
been undoubtedly occasions of spiritual revelations, 
and many instances may be adduced as illustrations 
of the workings of the Spirit apart from the action 



i82 RAJA YOGA. 

of reason or mind. The truth apparently is that the 
mind as a whole is an unconscious state, by that its 
middle registers, excluding the highest spiritual and 
lowest physical manifestations, are fitfully illuminated 
in varying degree by consciousness; and that it is to 
this illuminated part of the dial that the word "mind," 
which rightly appertains to the whole, has been lim- 
ited." 

OHver Wendell Holmes has said: "The automatic 
flow of thought is often singularly favored by the 
fact of listening to a weak continuous discourse, with 
just enough ideas in it to keep the (conscious) mind 
busy. The induced current of thought is often rapid 
and brilliant in inverse ratio to the force of the in- 
ducing current." 

Wundt says: "The unconscious logical processes 
are carried on with a certainty and regularity which 
would be impossible where there exists the possibility 
of error. Our mind is so happily designed that it pre- 
pares for us the most important foundations of cog- 
nition, whilst we have not the slightest apprehension 
of the modus operandi. This unconscious soul, like a 
benevolent stranger, works and makes provisions for 
our benefit, pouring only the mature fruits into our 
laps." 

A writer in an English magazine interestingly 
writes : "Intimations reach our consciousness from un- 
consciousness, that the mind is ready to work, is 
fresh, is full of ideas," "The grounds of our judg- 
ment are often knowledge so remote from conscious- 



i 



THE MIND. . 183 

ness that we cannot bring them to view." "That the 
human mind includes an unconscious part; that un- 
conscious events occurring in that part are proximate 
causes of consciousness ; that the greater part of hu- 
man intuitional action is an efifect of an unconscious 
cause ; the truth of these propositions is so deducible 
from ordinary mental events, and is so near the sur- 
face that the failure of deduction to forestall induction 
in the discerning of it may well excite wonder." "Our 
behavior is influenced by unconscious assumptions re- 
specting our own social and intellectual rank, and that 
of the one we are addressing. In company we un- 
consciously assume a bearing quite different from 
that of the home circle. After being raised to a higher 
rank the whole behavior subtly and unconsciously 
changes in accordance with it." And Schofield adds 
to the last sentence : "This is also the case in a minor 
degree with different styles and qualities of dress and 
different environments. Quite unconsciously we 
change our behavior, carriage, and style, to suit the 
circumstance." 

Jensen writes: "When we reflect on anything with 
the whole force of the mind, we may fall into a state 
of entire unconsciousness, in which we not only for- 
get the outer world, but also know nothing at all of 
ourselves and the thoughts passing within us after 
a time. We then suddenly awake as from a dream, 
and usually at the same moment the result of our 
meditations appears as distinctly in consciousness 
without our knowing how we reached it." 



i84 RAJA YOGA. 

Bascom says : "It is inexplicable how premises which 
lie below consciousness can sustain conclusions in 
consciousness; how the mind can wittingly take up 
a mental movement at an advanced stage, having 
missed its primary steps." 

Hamilton and other writers have compared the 
mind's action to that of a row of billiard balls, of 
which one is struck and the impetus transmitted 
throughout the entire row, the result being that only 
the last ball actually moves, the others remaining in 
their places. The last ball represents the conscious 
thought — the other stages in the unconscious menta- 
tion. Lewes, speaking of this illustration, says: 
"Something like this, Hamilton says, seems often to 
occur in a train of thought, one idea immediately 
suggesting another into consciousness — this sugges- 
tion passing through one or more ideas which do 
not themselves rise into consciousness. This point, 
that we are not conscious of the formation of groups, 
but only of a formed group, may throw light on the 
existence of unconscious judgments, unconscious rea- 
sonings, and unconscious registrations of experience." 

Many writers have related the process by which the 
unconscious mentation emerges gradually into the 
field of consciousness, and the discomfort attending 
the process. A few examples may prove interesting 
and instructive. 

Maudsley says : "It is surprising how uncomfortable 
a person may be made by the obscure idea of some- 
thing which he ought to have said or done, and which 



THE MIND. ib5 

he cannot for the life of him remember. There is 
an effort of the lost idea to get into consciousness, 
which is relieved directly the idea bursts into con- 
sciousness." 

Oliver Wendell Holmes said: 'There are thoughts 
that never emerge into consciousness, and which yet 
make their influence felt among the perceptive men- 
tal currents, just as the unseen planets sway the 
movements of the known ones." The same writer 
also remarks : 'T was told of a business man in Boston 
who had given up thinking of an important ques- 
tion as too much for him. But he continued so un- 
easy in his brain that he feared he was threatened 
with palsy. After some hours the natural solution 
of the question came to him, worked out, as he be- 
lieved, in that troubled interval." 

Dr. Schofield mentions several instances of this 
phase of the workings of the unconscious planes of 
the mind. We mention a couple that seem interesting 
and to the point : 

"Last year," says Dr. Schofield, 'T was driving to 
Phillmore Gardens to give some letters to a friend. 
On the way, a vague uneasiness sprang up, and a 
voice seemed to say, T doubt if you have those letters.' 
Conscious reason rebuked it, and said, 'Of course 
you have ; you took them out of the drawer specially.' 
The vague feeling was not satisfied, but could not re- 
ply. On arrival I found the letters were in none of 
my pockets. On returning I found them on the hall 



i86 RAJA YOGA. 

table, where they had been placed a moment while 
putting on my gloves." 

"The other day I had to go to see a patient in 
Folkestone, in Shakespeare Terrace. I got there very 
late, and did not stay but drove down to the Pavilion 
for the night, it being dark and rainy. Next morning 
at eleven I walked up to find the house, knowing the 
general direction, though never having walked there 
before. I went up the main road, and, after passing 
a certain turning, began to feel a vague uneasiness 
coming into consciousness, that I had passed the ter- 
race. On asking the way, I found it was so ; and 
the turning was where the uneasiness began. The 
night before was pitch dark, and very wet, and any- 
thing seen from a close carriage was quite uncon- 
sciously impressed on my mind." 

Prof. Kirchener says : "Our consciousness can only 
grasp one quite clear idea at once. All other ideas 
are for the time somewhat obscure. They are really 
existing, but only potentially for consciousness, i. e., 
they hover, as it were, on our horizon, or beneath 
the threshold of consciousness. The fact that former 
ideas suddenly return to consciousness is simply ex- 
plained by the fact that they have continued psychic 
existence; and attention is sometimes voluntarily or 
involuntarily turned away from the present, and the 
appearance of former ideas is thus made possible." 

Oliver Wendell Holm.es says : "Our different ideas 
are stepping-stones ; how we get from one to another 
we do not know ; something carries us. We (our con- 



THE MIND. 187 

scions selves) do not take the step. The creating and 
informing spirit, which is zvithin us and not of us, 
is recognized everywhere in real life. It comes to us 
as a voice that will be heard ; it tells us what we 
must believe ; it frames our sentences and we wonder 
at this visitor who chooses our brain as his dwelling 
place." 

Galton says: 'T have desired to show how whole 
states of mental operation that have lapsed out of 
ordinary consciousness, admit of being dragged into 
light." 

Montgomery says: "We are constantly aware that 
feelings emerge unsolicited by any previous mental 
state, directly from the dark womb of unconscious- 
ness. Indeed all our most vivid feelings are thus mys- 
tically derived. Suddenly a new irrelevant, unwilled, 
unlooked-for presence intrudes itself into conscious- 
ness. Some inscrutable power causes it to rise and 
enter the mental presence as a sensorial constituent. 
If this vivid dependence on unconscious forces has 
to be conjectured with regard to the most vivid mental 
occurrences, how much more must such a sustaining 
foundation be postulated for those faint revivals of 
previous sensations that so largely assist in making 
up our complex mental presence !" 

Sir Benjamin Brodie says : "It has often happened 
to me to have accumulated a store of facts, but to 
have been able to proceed no further. Then after an 
interval of time, I have found the obscurity and con- 
fusion to have cleared away; the facts to have settled 



i88 RAJA YOGA. 

in their right places, though I have not been sensible 
of having made any effort for that purpose." 

Wundt says: "The traditional opinion that con- 
sciousness is the entire field of the internal life cannot 
be accepted. In consciousness, psychic acts are very 
distinct from one another, and observation itself neces- 
sarily conducts to unity in psychology. But the agent 
of this imity is outside of consciousness", which knows 
only the result of the work done in the unknown lab- 
oratory beneath it. Suddenly a ncAv thought springs 
into being. Ultimate analysis of psychic processes 
shows that the unconscious is the theater of the most 
important mental phenomena. The conscious is al- 
ways conditional upon the unconscious." 

Creighton says: "Our conscious life is the sum of 
these entrances and exits. Behind the scenes, as we 
infer, there lies a vast reserve which we call 'the un- 
conscious,' finding a name for it by the simple device 
of prefixing the negative article. The basis of all 
that lies behind the scene is the mere negative of con- 
sciousness." 

Maudsley says : "The process of reasoning adds 
nothing to knowledge (in the reasoner). It only dis- 
plays what was there before, and brings to conscious 
possession what before was unconscious." And again : 
"Mind can do its work without knowing it. Con- 
sciousness is the light that lightens the process, not 
the agent that accom.plishes it." 

Walstein says : "It is through the sub-conscious self 
that Shakespeare must have perceived, without effort, 



THE MIND. 189 

great truths which are hidden from the conscious mind 
of the student; that Phidias painted marble and 
bronze; that Raphael painted Madonnas, and Bee- 
thoven composed symphonies." 

Ribot says: "The mind receives from experience 
certain data, and elaborates them unconsciously by 
laws peculiar to itself, and the result merges into 
consciousness-." 

Newman says : "When the unaccustomed causes 
surprise, we do not perceive the thing and then feel 
the surprise; but surprise comes first, and then we 
search out the cause; so the theory must have acted 
on the unconscious mind to create the feeling, before 
being perceived in consciousness." 

A writer in an English magazine says : "Of what 
transcendent importance is the fact that the uncon- 
scious part of the mind bears to the conscious part 
such a relation as the magic lantern bears to the lu- 
minous disc which it projects ; that the greater part 
of the intentional action, the whole practical life of 
the vast majority of men, is an effect of events as re- 
mote from consciousness as the motion of the planets." 

Dr. Schofield says: "It is quite true that the range 
of the unconscious mind must necessarily remain in- 
definite; none can say how high or low it may reach 
. . . . As to how far the unconscious powers of 
life that, as has been said, can make eggs and feathers 
out of Indian corn, and milk and beef and mutton out 
of grass, are to be considered within or beyond the low- 
est limits of unconscious mind, we do not therefore 



190 RAJA YOGA. 

here press. It is enough to establish the fact of its 
existence; to point out its more important features; 
and to show that in all respects it is as worthy of be- 
ing called mind as that which works in conscious- 
ness. We therefore return to our first definition 
of Mmd, as 'the sum of psychic action in us, whether 
conscious or unconscious.' " 

Hartmann calls our attention to a very important 
fact when he says : "The unconscious does not fall ill, 
the unconscious does not grow weary, but all con- 
scious mental activity becomes fatigued." 

Kant says : "To have ideas and yet not be conscious 
of them — therein seems to lie a contradiction. How- 
ever, we may still be immediately aware of holding an 
idea, though we are not directly conscious of it." 

Maudsley says : "It may seem paradoxical to assert 
not merely that ideas may exist in the mind without 
any consciousness of them, but that an idea, or a 
train of associated ideas, may be quickened into ac- 
tion and actuate movements without itself being at- 
tended to. When an idea disappears from conscious- 
ness it does not necessarily disappear entirely ; it may 
remain latent below the horizon of consciousness. 
Moreover it may produce an effect upon movement, 
or upon other ideas, when thus active below the hori- 
zon of consciousness." 

Liebnitz says: "It does not follow that because we 
do not perceive thought that it does not exist. It is 
a great source of error to believe that there is no per- 
ception in the mind but that of which it is conscious." 



THE MIND. 191 

Oliver Wendell Holmes says : "The more we exam- 
ine the mechanism of thought the more we shall see 
that anterior unconscious action of the mind that en- 
ters largely into all of its processes. People who talk 
most do not always think most. I question whether 
persons who think most — that is who have most con- 
scious thought pass through their mind — necessarily 
do most mental work. Every new idea planted in a 
real thinker's mind grows when he is least conscious 
of it." 

Maudsley says : "It would go hard with mankind 
indeed, if they must act wittingly before they acted at 
all. Men, without knowing why, follow a course for 
which good reasons exist. Nay, more. The practical 
instincts of mankind often work beneficially in actual 
contradiction to their professed doctrines." 

The same writer says : "The best thoughts of an au- 
thor are the unwilled thoughts which surprise him- 
self ; and the poet, under the influence of creative ac- 
tivity, is, so far as consciousness is concerned, being 
dictated to." 

A writer in an English magazine says: "When 
waiting on a pier for a steamer, I went on to the first, 
which was the wrong one. I came back and waited, 
losing my boat, which was at another part of the pier, 
on account of the unconscious assumption I had made, 
that this was the only place to wait for the steamer. 
I saw a man enter a room, and leave by another door. 
Shortly after, I saw another man exactly like him do 
the same. It was the same man ; but I said it must be 



192 RAJA YOGA. 

his twin brother, in the unconscious assumption that 
there was no exit for the first man but by the way he 
came (that by returning)." 

Maudsley says: "The firmest resolve or purpose 
sometimes vanishes issueless when it comes to the 
brink of an act, while the true will, which determines 
perhaps a dififerent act, springs up suddenly out of the 
depths of the unconscious nature, surprising and over- 
coming the conscious." 

Schofield says : "Our unconscious influence is the 
projection of our unconscious mind and personality 
unconsciously over others. This acts uncon- 
sciously on their unconscious centers, producing 
effects in character and conduct, recognized in 
consciousness. For instance, the entrance of a 
good man into a room where foul language 
is used, will unconsciously modify and purify the tone 
of the whole room. Our minds cast shadows of which 
we are as unconscious as those cast by our bodies, but 
v^hich affect for good or evil all w^ho unconsciously 
pass within their range. This is a matter of daily ex- 
perience, and is common to all, though more notice- 
able with strong personalities." 

Now we have given much time and space to the ex- 
pressions of opinion of various Western writers re- 
garding this subject of there being a plane or planes 
of the mind outside of the field of consciousness. We 
have given space to this valuable testimony, not alone 
because of its intrinsic value and merit, but because we 
wished to impress upon the minds of our students that 



THE MIND. 193 

these out-of-conscious planes of mind are now being 
recognized by the best authorities in the Western 
world, although it has been only a few years back 
when the idea was laughed at as ridiculous, and as 
a mere "dream of the Oriental teachers." Each writer 
quoted has brought out some interesting and valuable 
point of the subject, and the student will find that his 
own experiences corroborate the points cited by the 
several writers. In this way we think the matter will 
be made plainer, and will become fixed in the mind of 
those who are studying this course of lessons. 

But we m.ust caution our students from hastily 
adopting the several theories of Western writers, ad- 
vanced during the past few years, regarding these 
out-of-conscious states. The trouble has been that 
the Western writers dazzled by the view of the sub- 
conscious planes of mentation that suddenly burst 
upon the Western thought, hastily adopted certain 
theories, which they felt would account for all ' the 
phenomena known as "psychic," and which they 
thought would fully account for all the problems of the 
subject. These writers while doing a most valuable 
work, which has helped thousands to form new ideas 
regarding the nature and workings of the mind, nev- 
ertheless did not sufficiently explore the nature of the 
problem before them.. A little study of the Oriental 
philosophies might have saved them and their readers 
much confusion. 

For instance, the majority of these writers hastily 
assumed that because there was an out-of-conscious 



194 RAJA YOGA. 

plane of mentation, therefore all the workings of the 
mind might be grouped under the head of "conscious" 
and "sub-conscious," and that all the out-of-conscious 
phenomena might be grouped under the head of "sub- 
conscious mind," "subjective mind," etc., ignoring the 
fact that this class of mental phenomena embraced not 
only the highest but the lowest forms of mentation. 
In their newly found "mind" (which they called "sub- 
jective" or "sub-conscious"), they placed the lowest 
traits and animal passions ; insane impulses ; delusions ; 
bigotry ; animal-like intelligence, etc., etc., as well as 
the inspiration of the poet and musician, and the high 
spiritual longings and feelings that one recognizes as 
having come from the higher regions of the soul. 

This mistake was a natural one, and at first reading 
the Western world was taken by storm, and accepted 
the new ideas and theories as Truth. But when re- 
flection came, and analysis was applied there arose a 
feeling of disappointment and dissatisfaction, and 
people began to feel that there was something lacking. 
They intuitively recognized that their higher inspira- 
tions and intuitions came from a different part of the 
mind than the lower emotions, passions, and other 
sub-conscious feelings and instincts. 

A glance at the Oriental philosophies will give one 
the key to the problem at once. The Oriental teachers 
have ahvays held that the conscious mentation was 
but a small fraction of the entire volume of thought, 
but they have always taught that just as there was a 
field of mentation below consciousness, so was there 



THE MIND. 195 

a field of mentation above consciousness as much 
higher than Intellect as the other was lower than it. 
The mere mention of this fact will prove a revelation 
to those who have not heard it before, and who have 
become entangled with the several "dual-mind" the- 
ories of the recent Western writers. The more one 
has read on this subject the more he will appreciate 
the superiority of the Oriental theory over that of 
the Western writers. It is like the chemical which at 
once clears the clouded liquid in the test-tube. 

In our next lesson we shall go into this subject of the 
above-conscious planes, and the below-conscious 
planes, bringing out the distinction clearly, and adding 
to what we have said on the subject in previous books. 

And all this is leading us toward the point where 
we may give you instruction regarding the training and 
cultivation — the retraining and guidance of these 
out-of-conscious faculties. By retraining the lower 
planes of mentation to their proper work, and by stim- 
ulating the higher ones, man may "make himself 
over," mentally, and may acquire powers of which he 
but dreams now. This is why we are leading you up 
to the understanding of this subject, step by step. We 
advise you to acquaint yourself with each phase of 
the matter, that you may be able to apply the teach- 
ings and instructions to follow in later lessons of the 
course. 



196 RAJA YOGA. 



MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION). 

I recognize that my Self is greater than it seems — 
that above and below consciousness are planes of mind 
— that just as there are lower planes of mind which 
belong to my past experience in ages past and over 
which I must now assert my Mastery — so are there 
planes of mind into which I am unfolding gradually, 
which will bring me wisdom, power, and joy. I Am 
Myself, in the midst of this mental world — I am the 
Master of my Mind — I assert my control of its lower 
phases, and I demand of its higher all that it has in 
store for me. 



THE NINTH LESSON. 

The Mental Planes. 

In onr last lesson we told you something about the 
operation of the mind outside of the field of conscious- 
ness. In this lesson we will attempt to classify these 
out-of-consciousness planes, by directing your atten- 
tion to the several mental planes above and below the 
plane of consciousness. As we stated in the last les- 
son, over 90 per cent of our mental operations are 
conducted outside of the field of consciousness, so 
that the consideration of the planes is seen to be 
an important subject. 

Man is a Centre of Consciousness in the great One 
Life of the Universe. His soul has climbed a great 
many steps before it reached its present position and 
stage of unfoldment. And it will pass through many 
more steps until it is entirely free and delivered from 
the necessity of its swaddling clothes. 

In his mental being man contains traces of all that 
has gone before — all the experiences of himself and 
the great race movement of which he is a part. And, 
likewise, his mind contains faculties and mental planes 
which have not as yet unfolded into consciousness, and 
of the existence of which he is but imperfectly aware. 
All of these mental possessions, however, are useful 
and valuable to him — even the lowest. The lowest 
may be used to advantage, tinder proper mastery, and 
are only dangerous to the man who allows them to 

197 



198 RAJAH YOGA. 

master him instead of serving him as they 'should, 
considering his present stage of development. 

In this consideration of the several mental planes 
we shall not confine ourselves to the technical occult 
terms given to these several planes, but will place 
them in general groups and describe the features and 
characteristics of each, rather than branch off into long 
explanations of the growth and reason of the several 
planes, which would take us far away from the prac- 
tical consideration of the subject. 

Beginning at the lowest point of the scale we see 
that man has a body. The body is composed of mi- 
nute cells of protoplasm. These cells are built up of 
countless molecules, atoms and particles of matter — 
precisely the same matter that composes the rocks, 
trees, air, etc., around him. The Yogi philosophy 
tells us that even the atoms of matter have life and an 
elementary manifestation of mind, which causes them 
to group together according to the law of attraction, 
forming different elements, combinations, etc. This 
law of attraction is a mental operation, and is the 
first evidence of mental choice, action and response. 
Below this is Prana or Force, which, strictly speak- 
ing, is also a manifestation of mind, although for 
convenience we designate it as a separate manifesta- 
tion of the Absolute. 

And therefore we find that this law of attraction be- 
tween the atoms and particles of matter is a mental 
action, and that it belongs to man's mental kingdom, 
because he has a bodv and this mental action is con- 



i 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 199 

tinually going on in his body. So therefore this is the 
lowest mental plane to be considered in the make-up 
of the man. This plane is, of course, far sunken be- 
neath the plane of consciousness, and is scarcely iden- 
tified with the personality of the man at all, but rather 
belongs to the life of the whole, manifest in the rock 
as well as in the man. 

But after these atoms have been grouped by the 
law of attraction and have formed molecules of mat- 
ter, they are taken possession of by a higher mental 
activity and built up into cells by the mental action 
of the plant. The life impulse of the plant begins by 
drawing to it certain particles of inorganic matter — 
chemical elements — rand then building them into a 
single cell. Oh, mystery of the cell ! The intellect of 
man is unable to duplicate this wonderful process. 
The Mind Principle on the Vegetative Plane, how- 
ever, knows exactly how to go to work to select and 
draw to itself just the elements needed to build up the 
single cell. Then taking up its abode in that cell — 
using it as a basis of operations, it proceeds to dupli- 
cate its previous performance, and so cell after cell 
is added, by the simple reproductive process of di- 
vision and subdivision — the primitive and elemental 
sex process — until the mighty plant is built up. From 
the humblest vegetable organism up to the greatest 
oak the process is the same. 

And it does not stop there. The body of man is also 
built up in just this way, and he has this vegetative 
mind also within him, below the plane of conscious- 



200 RAJAH YOGA. 

ness, of course. To many this thought of a vegetative 
mind may be som-^-what startling. But let us remem- 
ber that every part of our body has been built up 
from the vegetable cell. The unborn child starts with 
the coalition of two cells. These cells begin to build 
up the new body for the occupancy of the child — 
that is, the mind principle in the cells directs the work, 
of course — drawing upon the body of the mother for 
nourishment and supplies. The nourishment in the 
mother's blood, which supplies the material for the 
building up of the child's body, is obtained by the 
mother eating and assimilating the vegetable cells of 
plants, directly or indirectly. If she eats fruit, nuts, 
vegetables, etc., she obtains the nourishment of the 
plant life directly — if she eats meat she obtains it 
indirectly, for the animal from which the meat was 
taken built up the meat from vegetables. There is 
no two ways about this — all nourishment of the ani- 
mal and human kingdom is obtained from the vege- 
table kingdom, directly or indirectly. 

And the cell action in the child is identical with the 
cell action in the plant. Cells constantly reproducing 
themselves and building themselves up into bodily 
organs, parts, etc., under the direction and guidance 
of the mind principle. The child grows in this way 
until the hour of birth. It is born, and then the 
process is but slightly changed. The child begins to 
take nourishment either from the mother's milk or 
from the milk of the cow, or other forms of food. 
And as it grows larger it partakes of many different 



THE AlENTAL PLANES. 201 

varieties of food. But always it obtains building ma- 
terial from the cell life of the plants. 

And this great building up process is intelligent, 
purposeful, to a wonderful degree. Man with his 
boasted intellect cannot explain the real "thingness" 
of the process. A leading scientist who placed the 
egg of a small lizard under microscopical examina- 
tion and then watched it slowly develop has said 
that it seemed as if some hand was tracing the out- 
lines of the tiny vertebrae, and then building up around 
it. Think for a moment of the development of the 
germ within the egg of the humming-bird, or the ant, 
or the gnat, or the eagle. Every second a change 
may be noticed. The germ cell draws to itself nour- 
ishment from the other part of the egg, and then it 
grows and reproduces another cell. Then both cells 
divide — then subdivide until there are millions and 
millions and millions of cells. And all the while the 
building up process continues, and the bird or insect 
assumes shape and form, until at last the work is ac- 
complished and the young bird emerges from the egg. 

And the work thus commenced continues until the 
death of the animal. For there is a constant using-up 
and breaking-down of cell and tissue, which the or- 
ganism must replace. And so the vegetative mind 
of the plant, or insect, or animal, or man, is con- 
stantly at work building up new cells from the food, 
throwing out worn-out and used-up material from the 
system. Not only this, but it attends to the circula- 
tion of the blood in order that the materials for the 



202 RAJAH YOGA. 

building up may be carried to all parts of the system. 
It attends to the digestion and assimilation of the 
food — the wonderful work of the organs of the body. 
It attends to the healing of wounds, the fight against 
disease, the care of the physical body. And all this 
out of the plane of consciousness — in the infant man, 
the animal world, the vegetable kingdom — ever at 
work, untiring, intelligent, wonderful. And this plane 
of mind is in man as well as in the plant, and it does 
its work without aid from the conscious part of man, 
although man may interfere with it by adverse con- 
scious thought, which seems to paralyze its efforts. 
Mental Healing is merely the restoring of normal 
conditions, so that this part of the body may do its 
work without the hindrance of adverse conscious 
thought. 

On this plane of the mind is found all of the vital 
functions and operations. The work is done out-of- 
consciousness, and the consciousness is aware of this 
part of the mind only when it makes demands upon 
the conscious for food, etc. On this plane also re- 
sides the elementary instinct that tends toward re- 
production and sexual activity. The demand of this 
part of the mind is always "increase and multiply," 
and according to the stage of growth of the indi- 
vidual is the mandate carried out, as we shall see pres- 
ently. The elementary impulses and desires that we 
find rising into the field of consciousness come from 
this plane of the mind. Hunger, thirst and the re- 
productive desires are its messages to the higher 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 203 

parts of the mind. And these messages are natural 
and free from the abuses and prostitution often ob- 
served attached to them by the intellect of man in 
connection with his unrestrained animal impulses. 
Gluttony and unnatural lust arise not from the primi- 
tive demand of this plane of the mind — ffor the lower 
animals even are free from them to a great extent — 
but it is reserved for man to so prostitute these primi- 
tive natural tendencies, in order to gratify unnatural 
and artificial appetites, which serve to frustrate nature 
rather than to aid her. 

As Life advanced in the scale and animal forms ap- 
peared on the scene new planes of mind were un- 
folded, in accordance to the necessity of the living 
forms. The animal was compelled to hunt for his 
food — to prey upon other forms, and to avoid being 
preyed upon by others. He was compelled to struggle 
for the unfoldment of latent powers of his mind that 
would give him means to play his part in the scheme 
of life. He was compelled to do certain things in 
order to live and reproduce his kind. And he de- 
manded not in vain. For there came to him slowly 
an unfolding knowledge of the things necessary for 
the requirements of his life. We call this Instinct. 
But, pray remember, by Instinct we do not mean the 
still higher something that is really rudimentary Intel- 
lect that we notice in the higher animals. We are 
speaking now of the unreasoning instinct observed in 
the lower animals, and to a certain degree in man. 
This Instinctive plane of mentality causes the bird 



204 RAJAH YOGA. 

to build its nest before its eggs are laid, which in- 
structs the animal mother how to care for its young 
when born, and after birth ; which teaches the bee to 
construct its cell and to store up its honey. These 
and countless other things in animal life, and in the 
higher form of plant life, are manifestations of In- 
stinct — that great plane of the mind. In fact, the 
greater part of the life of the animal is instinctive, 
although the higher forms of animals have developed 
something like rudimentary Intellect or Reason, which 
enables them to meet new conditions where Intellect 
alone fails them. 

And man has this plane of mind within him, below 
consciousness. In fact the lower forms of human 
life manifest but little Intellect, and live almost alto- 
gether according to their Instinctive impulses and de- 
sires. 

Every man has this Instinctive mental region within 
him and from it are constantly arising impulses and 
desires to perplex and annoy him, as well as to serve 
him occasionally. The whole secret consists in 
whether the man has Mastery of his lower self or not. 

From this plane of the m.ind arise the hereditary 
impulses coming down from generations of ancestors, 
reaching back to the cavemen, and still further back 
into the animal kingdom. A queer storehouse is this. 
Animal instincts — passions, appetites, desires, feelings, 
sensations, emotions, etc., are there. Hate, envy, 
jealousy, revenge, the lust of the animal seeking the 
gratification of his sexual impulses, etc., etc., are 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 205 

there, and are constantly intruding upon our atten- 
tion until we have asserted our mastery. And often 
the failure to assert this mastery comes from an igno- 
rance of the nature of the desire, etc. We have been 
taught that these thoughts vv'ere "bad" without being 
told why, and we have feared them and thought theni 
the promptings of an impure nature, or a depraved 
mind, etc. This is all wrong. These things are not 
"bad" of them.selves — they came to us honestly — they 
are oiu* heritage from the past. They belong to the 
animal part of our nature, and were necessary to the 
animal in his stage of development. We have the whole 
menagerie within us, but that does not mean that we 
should turn the beasts loose upon ourselves or others. 
It was necessary for the animal to be fierce, full of 
fight, passionate, regardless of the rights of others, 
etc., but we have outgrown that stage of develop- 
ment, and it is ignoble for us to return to it, or to 
allow it to master us. 

This lesson is not intended as a discourse upon 
Ethics or morals. We do not intend going into a dis- 
cussion of the details of "Right and Wrong," for w^e 
have touched upon that phase of the subject in other 
works. But we feel justified in calling your attention 
to the fact that the human mind intuitively recognizes 
the "Rightness" of the living up to that which comes 
to us from the highest parts of the mind — the highest 
product of our unfoldment. And it likewise intuitively 
recognizes the "Wrongness" of the falling back into 
that which belongs to the lower stages of our men- 



2o6 RAJAH YOGA. 

tality — to the animal part of us, that is our heritage 
from the past and that which has gone before. 

While we may be puzzled about many details of 
morals and ethics and may not be able to "explain" 
why we consider certain things right or wrong, we 
still intuitively feel that the highest "Right" of which 
we are capable is the acting out of that which is 
coming to us from the highest pole of our mental 
being, and that the lowest "Wrong" consists in doing 
that which carries us back to the life of the lower 
animals, in so far as mentality is concerned. Not 
because there is anything absolutely "Wrong" in the 
mental processes and consequent of the animals in 
themselves — they are all right and perfectly natural 
in the animals — but we intuitively recognize that for 
us to fall back to the animal stage is a "going back- 
ward" in the scale of evolution. We intuitively 
shrink at an exhibition of brutality and animality on 
the part of a man or Vv^oman. We may not know just 
why, but a little reflection will show us that it is a 
sinking in the evolutionary scale, against which the 
spiritual part of us revolts and protests. 

But this must not be construed to mean that the 
advanced soul looks upon the animal world with dis- 
gust or horror. On the contrary, there is nowhere to 
be found a higher respect for animal life and being 
than among the Yogi and other advanced souls. 
They delight in watching the animals filling their 
places in life — playing out their parts in the divine 
scheme of life. Their animal passions and desires are 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 207 

actions viewed sympathetically and lovingly by the 
advanced soul, and nothing "Wrong" or disgusting is 
seen there. And even the coarseness and brutality of 
the savage races are so regarded by these advanced 
souls. They see everything as natural according to 
the grade and degree of development of these people. 

It is only when these advanced souls view the de- 
generacies of "civilized" life that they feel sorrow and 
pain. For here they see instances of devolution in- 
stead of evolution — degeneration instead of regenera- 
tion and advancement. And not only do they know 
this to be the fact, but the degenerate specimens 
of mankind themselves feel and know it. Compare 
the expression of the animal or savage going through 
their natural life actions and performances. See how 
free and natural are their expressions, how utterly 
apart are evidences of wrong doing. They have not 
as yet found out the fatal secret of Good and Evil — 
they have not as yet eaten the forbidden fruit. But, 
on the contrary, look into the faces of the degenerates 
and fallen souls of our civilized life. See the furtive 
glance and the self-consciousness of "Wrong" evi- 
dent in every face. And this consciousness of 
"Wrong" bears heavily upon these people — it is 
heavier than the punishments heaped upon them. 
That nameless something called "conscience" may be 
smothered for a while, but sooner or later it comes 
to light and demands the pound of flesh from its 
victim. 

And yet you will say that it seems hard to think 



2o8 RAJAH YOGA. 

that the same thing tan be Right in one person and 
Wrong in another. This seems like a hard saying 
and a dangerous doctrine, but it is the Truth. And 
man instinctively recognizes it. He does not expect 
the same sense of moral responsibility in a young 
child, or in a savage, that he does in a mature, devel- 
oped, civilized man. He may restrain the child and 
the savage, for self-protection and the welfare of all, 
but he realizes the distinction, or at least should do 
so. And not only is this true, but as man advances in 
the scale he casts off many ideas of "Wrong" that he 
once held, having outgrown the old ideas and having 
grown into new conceptions. And the tendency is 
always upward and onward. The tendency is con- 
stantly from Force and Restraint toward Love and 
Freedom. The ideal condition would be one in which 
there were no laws and no necessity for them — a con- 
dition in which men had ceased to do wrong because 
they had outgrown the desire rather than from fear 
or restraint or force. And while this condition as 
yet seems afar off, there is constantly going on an un- 
foldment of higher planes and faculties of the mind, 
which when once fully manifest in the race will work 
a complete revolution in ethics and laws and govern- 
ment — and for the better, of course. In the mean- 
time Mankind moves along, doing the best it can, 
making a steady though slow progress. 

There is another plane of the mind which is often 
called the "Instinct," but which is but a part of the 
plane of the Intellect, although its operations are 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 209 

largely below the field of consciousness. We allude 
to what may be called the "Habit Mind," in order to 
distinguish it from the Instinctive Plane. The differ- 
ence is this : The Instinctive plane of mind is made 
up of the ordinary operations of the mind below the 
plane of the Intellect, and yet above the plane of the 
Vegetative mind — and also of the acquired experi- 
ences of the race, which have been transmitted by 
heredity, etc. But the "Habit Mind" contains only 
that which has been placed there by the person him- 
self and which he has acquired by experience, habit, 
and observation, repeated so often until the mind 
knows it so well that it is carried below the field of 
consciousness and becomes "second nature," and akin 
to Instinct. 

The text books upon psychology are filled with illus- 
trations and examples of the habit phase or plane of 
the mental operations, and we do not think it neces- 
sary to repeat instances of the same kind here. Every- 
one is familiar with the fact that tasks which at first 
are learned only by considerable work and time soon 
become fixed in some part of the mind until their 
repetition calls for little or no exercise of conscious 
mental operation. In fact, some writers have claimed 
that no one really "learns" how to perform a task 
until he can perform it almost automatically. The 
pupil who in the early stages of piano playing finds 
it most difficult to control and manage his fingers, 
after a time is able to forget all about his fingering 
and devote his entire attention to the pages of his 



2IO RAJAH YOGA. 

music, and after this he is able to apparently let his 
fingers play the entire piece of music by themselves, 
without a thought on his part. The best performers 
have told us that in the moments of their highest 
efforts they are aware that the out-of-conscious por- 
tion of their mind is doing the work for them, and 
they are practically standing aside and witnessing the 
work being done. vSo true is this that in some cases it 
is related that if the performer's conscious mind at- 
tempts to take up the work the quality is impaired 
and the musician and the audience notice the differ- 
ence. 

The same thing is true in the case of the woman 
learning to operate the sewing machine. It is quite 
difficult at first, but gradually it grows to "run itself." 
Those who have mastered the typewriter have had the 
same experience. At first each letter had to be picked 
out with care and effort. After a gradual improve- 
ment the operator is enabled to devote her entire at- 
tention to the "copy" and let the fingers pick out the 
keys for themselves. Many operators learn rapid type- 
writing by so training the habit mind that it picks out 
the letter-keys by reason of their position, the letters 
being covered over in order to force the mind to 
adapt itself to the new requirements. A similar state 
of affairs exists wherever men or women have to use 
tools of any kind. The tool soon is recognized by 
the mind and used as if it were a part of the body, 
and no more conscious thought is devoted to the 
manipulation than we devote to the operation of 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 211 

walking, which, by the way, is learned by the child 
only by the expenditure of time and labor. It is 
astonishing how many things we do "automatically" 
in this way. Writers have called our attention to the 
fact that the average man cannot consciously inform 
you how he puts on his coat in the morning — which 
arm goes in first, how the coat is held, etc. But the 
habit mind knows — knows very well. Let the student 
stand up and put on his coat in the regular way, fol- 
lowing the leadings of the habit mind. Then, after 
removing it, let him attempt to put it on by inserting 
the other arm first, for instance. He will be sur- 
prised to find out how awkward it will be for him, and 
how completely he has been depending upon the habit 
mind. And tomorrow morning let him find out which 
shoe the habit mind has been putting on him first 
and then try to reverse the order and notice how 
flurried and disturbed the habit mind will become, 
and how frantically it will signal to the conscious 
mind: "Something wrong up there!" Or try to 
Dutton on your collar, reversing the order in which 
the tabs are placed over the button — right before left, 
or left before right, as the case may be, and notice the 
involuntary protest. Or, try to reverse the customary 
habit in walking and attempt to swing your right arm 
with the movement of your right leg, and so on, and 
you will find it will require the exercise of great will 
power. Or, try to "change hands" and use your 
knife and fork. But we must stop giving examples 
aud illustrations. Their number is countless. 



212 RAJAH YOGA. 

Not only does the habit mind attend to physical 
actions, etc., but it also takes a hand in our mental 
operations. We soon acquire the habit of ceasing to 
consciously consider certain things, and the habit mind 
takes the matter for granted, and thereafter we will 
think automatically on those particular questions, un- 
less we are shaken out of the habit by a rude jolt 
from the mind of someone else, or from the presenta- 
tion of some conflicting idea occasioned by our own 
experience or reasoning processes. And the habit mind 
hates to be disturbed and compelled to revise its ideas. 
It fights against it, and rebels, and the result is that 
many of us are slaves to old outgrown ideas that we 
realize are false and untrue, but which we find that 
we "cannot exactly get rid of." In our future lessons 
we will give methods to get rid of these old outgrown 
ideas. 

There are other planes of mind which have to do 
with the phenomena known as "psychic," by which is 
meant the phases of psychic phenomena known as 
clairvoyance, psychometry, telepathy, etc., but we shall 
not consider them in this lesson, for they belong to 
another part of the general subject. We have spoken 
of them in a general way in our "Fourteen Lessons 
in Yogi Philosophy, etc." 

And now we come to the plane of mind known to 
us as Intellect or the Reasoning Faculties. Webster 
defines the word Intellect as follows : The part or 
faculty of the human soul by which it knows, as dis- 
tinguished from the power to feel and to will ; the 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 213 

thinking faculty; the understanding. The same au- 
thority defines the word Reason as follows: "The 
faculty or capacity of the human mind by which it is 
distinguished from the intelligence of the inferior 
animals." We shall not attempt to go into a consid- 
eration of the conscious Intellect, for to do so we 
would be compelled to take up the space of the re- 
maining lessons of the course, and besides, the student 
may find extended information on this subject in any 
of the text books on psychology. Instead we will 
consider other faculties and planes of mind which the 
said text books pass by rapidly, or perhaps deny. And 
one of these planes is that of Unconscious Reasoning, 
or Intellect. To many this term will seem paradoxical, 
but students of the unconscious will understand just 
what is meant. 

Reasoning is not necessarily conscious in its opera- 
tions, in fact, a greater part of the reasoning processes 
are performed below or above the conscious field. In 
our last lesson we have given a number of examples 
proving this fact, but a few more remarks may not 
be out of place, nor without interest to the student. 

In our last lesson you will see many instances stated 
in which the sub-conscious field of the Intellect worked 
out problem.s, and then after a time handed to the 
conscious reason the solution of the matter. This 
has occurred to many of us, if not indeed to all of us. 
Who has not endeavored to solve a problem or ques- 
tion of some sort and after "giving it up" has had it 
suddenly answered and flashed into consciousness 



214 RAJAH YOGA. 

when least expected. The experience is common to 
the race. While the majority of us have noticed these 
things, we have regarded them as exceptional and out 
of the general rule. Not so, however, with students 
of the mental planes. The latter have recognized 
these planes of reason, and have availed themselves 
of their knowledge by setting these unconscious facul- 
ties to work for them. In our next lesson we will give 
directions to our students regarding this accomplish- 
ment, which may prove of the greatest importance to 
those who will take the trouble to practice the direc- 
tions given. It is a plan that is known to the ma- 
jority of men who have "done things" in the world, 
the majority of them, however, having discovered the 
plan for themselves as the result of a need or demand 
upon the inner powers of mind. 

The plane of mind immediately above that of Intel- 
lect is that known as Intuition. Intuition is defined 
by Webster as follows : "Direct apprehension or cog- 
nition ; immediate knowledge, as in perception or 
consciousness, involving no reasoning process ; quick 
or ready insight or apprehension." It is difficult to 
explain just what is meant by Intuition, except to 
those who have experienced it — and these people do 
not need the explanation. Intuition is just as real a 
mental faculty as is Intellect — or, to be more exact, 
is just as much a collection of mental faculties. In- 
tuition is above the field of consciousness, and its 
messages are passed downward, though its processes 
are hidden. The race is gradually unfolding into the 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 215 

mental plane of Intuition, and the race will some day 
pass into full consciousness on that plane. In the 
meantime it gets but flashes and glimpses from the 
hidden region. Many of the best things we have 
come from that region. . Art, music, the love of the 
beautiful and good poetry, the higher form of love, 
spiritual insight to a certain degree, intuitive percep- 
tion of truth, etc., etc., come from this region. These 
things are not reasoned out by the intellect, but seem 
to spring full born from some unknown region of the 
mind. 

In this wonderful region dwells Genius. Many, if 
not all of the great writers, poets, musicians, artists 
and other examples of genius have felt that their 
power came to them from some higher source. Many 
have thought that it emanated from some being kindly 
to them, who would inspire them with power and 
wisdom. Some transcendent power seemed to have 
been called into operation, and the worker would feel 
that his product or creation was not his handiwork, 
but that of some outside intelligence. The Greeks 
recognized this something in man, and called it man's 
"Daemon." Plutarch in his discourse on the daemon 
that guided Socrates speaks of the vision of Timarchus, 
who, in the case of Trophonius, saw spirits which 
were partly attached to human bodies, and partly over 
and above them, shining luminously over their heads. 
He was informed by the oracle that the part of the 
spirit which was immersed in the body was called 
the "soul," but that the outer and unimmersed por- 



2i6 RAJAH YOGA. 

tion was called the "daemon.'" The oracle also in- 
formed him that every man had his daemon, whom he 
is bound to obey; those who implicitly follow that 
guidance are the prophetic souls, the favorites of the 
gods. Goethe also spoke of the daemon as a power 
higher than the will, and which inspired certain na 
tures with miraculous energy. 

We may smile at these conceptions, but they are 
really very close to the truth. The higher regions of 
the mind, while belonging to the individual, and a 
part of himself, are so far above his ordinary con- 
sciousness that to all intents and purposes messages 
from them are as orders from another aud higher 
soul. But still the voice is that of the "1," speaking 
through its sheaths as best it is able. 

This power belongs to every one of us, although it 
manifests only in the degree that we are able to re- 
spond to it. It grows by faith and confidence, and 
closes itself up, and withdraws into its recesses when 
Vv^e doubt it and would question its veracity and reality. 
What we call "originality" comes from this region. 
The Intuitive faculties pass on to the conscious mind 
some perception of truth higher than the Intellect has 
been able to work out for itself, and lo! it is called 
the work of genius. 

The advanced occultist knows that in the higher 
regions of the mind are locked up intuitive percep- 
tions of all truth, and that he who can gain access 
to these regions will know everything intuitively, and 
as a matter of clear sight, without reasoning or ex- 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 217 

planation. The race has not as yet reached the heights 
of Intuition — it is just beginning to climb the foot- 
hills. But it is moving in the right direction. It 
wiM be well for us if we will open ourselves to the 
higher inner guidance, and be willing to be "led by 
the Spirit." This is a far different thing from being 
led by outside intelligence, which may, or may not, 
be qualified to lead. But the Spirit within each of 
us has our interests at heart and is desirous of our 
best good, and is not only ready but willing to take 
us by the hand and lead us on. The Higher Self 
is doing the best it can for our development and wel- 
fare, but is hampered by the confining sheaths. And 
alas, many of us glory in these sheaths and consider 
them the highest part of ourselves. Do not be afraid 
to let the light of the Spirit pierce through these con- 
fining sheaths and dissolve them. The Intuition, how- 
ever, is not the Spirit, but is one of its channels of 
communication to us. There are other and still higher 
planes of mind, but the Intuition is the one next in 
the line of unfoldment, and we should open our- 
selves to its influence and welcome its unfoldment. 

Above the plane of Intuition is that of the Cosmic 
Knowing, upon which we will find the consciousness 
of the Oneness of All. We have spoken of this plane 
in our lesson on the Unfoldment of Consciousness. 
When one is able to "conscious" on this plane — this 
exalted plane of mind — he is able to see fully, plainly 
and completely that there is One Great Life underly- 
ing all the countless forms and shapes of manifesta- 



2i8 RAJAH YOGA. 

tion. He is able to see that separateness is only "the 
working fiction of the Universe." He is able to see 
that each Ego is but a Centre of Consciousness in the 
great Ocean of Life — all in pursuance of the Divine 
Plan, and that he is moving forward toward higher 
and higher planes of manifestation, power and indi- 
viduality, in order to take a greater and grander part 
in the Universal work and plans. 

The Cosmic Knowing in its fulness has come to but 
few of the race, but many have had glimpses, more 
or less clear, of its transcendent wonder, and others 
are on the borderland of this plane. The race is un- 
folding gradually, slowly but surely, and those who 
have had this wonderful experience are preparing 
others for a like experience. The seed is being sown, 
and the harvest will come later. This and other phases 
of the higher forms of consciousness are before the 
race. The individuals who read this lesson are per- 
haps nearer to it than they think ; their interest in the 
lessons is an indication of that hunger of the soul 
which is a prophecy of the satisfaction of the cry for 
spiritual bread. The Law of Life heeds these cries 
for aid and nourishment and responds accordingly, 
but along the lines of the highest wisdom and accord- 
ing to the real requirements of the individual. 

Let us close this lesson with a quotation from "Light 
on the Path," which bears directly upon the concluding 
thought. Read it carefully and let it sink down deep 
into vour inner consciousness, and vou will feel the 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 219 

thrill of joy that comes to him who is nearing the 
goal. 

"Look for the flower to bloom in the silence that 
follows the storm; not till then. 

"It shall grow, it will shoot up, it will make branches 
and leaves, and form buds while the storm lasts. Biit 
not until the entire personality of the man is dissolved 
and melted — not until it is held by the divine frag- 
ment which has created it, as a mere subject for grave 
experiment and experience — not until the whole nature 
has yielded and become subject unto its higher self, 
can the bloom open. Then will come a calm such as 
comes in a tropical country after the heavy rain, when 
nature works so swiftly that one may see her action. 
Such a calm will come to the harassed spirit. And 
in the deep silence the mysterious event will occur 
which will prove that the way has been found. Call 
it by whatever name you will. It is a voice that 
speaks where there is none to speak, it is a messenger 
that com.es — a, messenger without form or substance — 
or it is the flower of the soul that has opened. It 
cannot be described by any metaphor. But it can be 
felt after, looked for, and desired, even among the 
raging of the storm. The silence may last a moment 
of time, or it may last a thousand years. But it will 
end. Yet you will carry its strength with you. 
Again and again the battle must be fought and won. 
It is only for an interval that nature can be still." 



220 RAJAH YOGA. 

The concluding three lessons of this series will be 
devoted to a practical course of instruction in the 
development of the hidden planes of the mind, or 
rather, in the development of the power of the indi- 
vidual to master the same and make use of them in 
his life. He will be taught to master the lower prin- 
ciples, not only in the surmounting of them, but in 
the transmitting of the elemental forces toward his 
higher ends. Power may be obtained from this part 
of the mind, under the direction of the Will. And 
the student will be told how to set the unconscious 
Intellect to work for him. And he will be told how 
to develop and train the Will. We have now passed 
the line between the theoretical and the practical 
phases of the subject, and from now on it will be a 
case of train, develop, cultivate and apply. Knowing 
what lies back of it all, the student is now prepared 
to receive the instructions which he might have mis- 
used before. Peace be with thee all. 



THE MENTAL PLANES. 221 



MANTRAM (AFFIRMATION). 



I AM THE MASTER OF MY SOUL. 



THE TENTH LESSON. 

StJB*CONSCI0USINa 

In the Ninth Lesson we called your attention to the 
fact that Reasoning was not necessarily conscious in 
its operations, and that, in fact, a large part of the 
rational processes of the mind are performed below 
or above the field of consciousness. And in the Eighth 
Lesson we gave you a number of examples illustrating 
this fact. We also gave you a number of cases in 
which the sub-conscious field of the Intellect worked 
out problems, and then after a time passed on to the 
conscious field of the Intellect the solution of the mat- 
ter. In this lesson we purpose instructing you in the 
methods by which this part of the Intellect may be set 
to work for you. Many have stumbled upon bits of 
this truth for themselves, and, in fact, the majority of 
successful men and men who have attained eminence 
in any walk of life have made more or less use of this 
truth, although they seldom understand the reason 
of it. 

Very few Western writers have recognized the work 
of this plane of the mind. They have given us full 
and ingenious theories and examples of the work- 
ings of the Instinctive Mind, and in some cases they 
have touched upon the workings and operations of 
the Intuitional planes, but in nearly every case they 
have treated the Intellect as something entirely con- 
fined to the Conscious plane of mentation. In this 

223 



224 RAJA YOGA. 

they have missed some of the most interesting and 
valuable manifestations of sub-conscious mentation. 

In this lesson we will take up this particular phase 
of mentation, and trust to be able to point out the 
way to use it to the best advantage, giving some sim- 
ple instructions that have been given by the Hindu 
teachers to their students for centuries past, such 
instructions of course, being modified by us to con- 
form to the requirements and necessities of the West- 
ern student of today. 

We have taken the liberty of bestowing a new title 
upon this phase of mentation — we have thought it 
well to call it "Sub-consciousing." The word "Sub," 
of course means "under ; below ;" and the word "Con- 
sciousing" is a favorite term employed by Prof. Elmer 
Gates, and means receiving impressions from the mind. 
In a general way, "Sub-consciousing," as used in this 
lesson, may be understood to mean "using the sub- 
conscious mind, under orders of the conscious mind." 

By referring to our Eighth Lesson, we see on page 
177, mention made of the case of the man who in- 
dulged in "unconscious rumination," which happened 
to him when he read books presenting new points of 
view essentially opposed to his previous opinion. You 
will note that after days, weeks, or months, he found 
that to his great astonishment the old opinions were 
entirely rearranged, and new ones lodged there. 

On the same page you will see mentioned the case 
of Sir William Hamilton, who discovered an impor- 
tant law of mathematics while walkinsr with his wife. 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 225 

In this case he had been previously thinking of the 
missing Hnk in his chain of reasoning, and the prob- 
lem was worked out for him by the sub-conscious plane 
of his Intellect. 

On the same page, and the one following, is found 
the case of Dr. Thompson, who gives an interesting 
account of the workings of this part of his mind, 
which caused him at times to experience a feeling of 
the uselessness of all voluntary efifort, coupled with a 
feeling that the matter was working itself clear in his 
mind. He tells us that at times he seemed to be merely 
a passive instrument in the hands of some person 
other than himself, who compelled him to wait until 
the work was performed for him by some hidden re- 
gion of the mind. When the subconscious part of the 
mind had completed its work, it would flash the mes- 
sage to his conscious mind, and he would begin to 
write. 

On page 178 mention is also made of the great 
French chemist Berthelot, who relates that some of 
his best conceptions have flashed upon him as from 
the clear sky. In fact, the Eighth Lesson is largely 
made up of examples of this kind, and we ask the 
student to re-read the same, in order to refresh his 
mind with the truth of the workings of the sub-con- 
scious mentality. 

But you will notice in nearly all the cases mentioned, 
that those who related instances of the help of the 
sub-conscious mind had merely stumbled upon the 
fact that there was a part of the mind below con- 



226 RAJA YOGA. 

sciousness tlmt could and would work out problems 
for one, if it could somehow be set in operation. And 
these people trusted to luck to start that part of the 
mind in operation. Or rather, they would saturate 
their conscious mind with a mass of material, like 
stuffing the stomach with food, and then bid the sub- 
conscious mind assort, separate, arrange and digest 
the mental food, just as does the stomach and diges- 
tive apparatus digest the natural food — out- 
side of the realm of consciousness or volition. 
In none of the cases mentioned was the sub- 
conscious mind directed specially to perform 
its wonderful work. It was simply hoped that it 
might digest the mental material with which it had 
been stuffed — in pure self defense. But there is a 
much better way, and we intend to tell you about it. 
The Hindu Yogis, or rather those who instruct their 
pupils in "Raja Yoga," give their students directions 
whereby they may direct their sub-conscious minds 
to perform mental tasks for them, just as one may di- 
rect another to perform a task. They teach them the 
methods whereby, after having accumulated the nec- 
essary materials, they may bid the sub-conscious men- 
tality to sort it out, rearrange, analyze, and build up 
from it some bit of desired knowledge. More than 
this, they instruct their pupils to direct and order the 
sub-conscious mentality to search out and report to 
them certain information to be found only within the 
mind itself — some question of philosophy or meta- 
physics. And when such art has been acquired, the 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 227 

student or Yogi rests assured that the desired result 
will be forthcoming in due time, and consequently 
dismisses the matter from his conscious mind, and 
busies himself with other matters, knowing that day 
and night, incessantly, the sub-consciousing process 
is going on, and that the sub-conscious mind is ac- 
tively at work collecting the information, or working 
out the problem. 

You will see at once the great superiority of this 
method over the old "hit-or-miss," "hope-it-will-work" 
plan pursued by those who have stumbled upon bits 
of the truth. 

The Yogi teacher begins by impressing upon his 
students the fact that the mind is capable of extend- 
ing outward toward an object, material or mental, and 
by examining it by methods inherent in itself, extract- 
ing knowledge regarding the object named. This is 
not a startling truth, because it is so common, everyone 
employing it more or less every day. But the process 
by which the knowledge is extracted is most won- 
derful, and really is performed below the plane of 
consciousness, the work of the conscious mind being 
chiefly concerned in holding the Attention upon the 
object. We have spoken of the importance of Atten- 
tion in previous lessons, which it will be well for you 
to re-read, at this time. 

When the student is fully impressed with the details 
of the process of Attention, and the subsequent un- 
foldment of knowledge, the Yogi proceeds to inform 
him that there are other means of obtaining knowl- 



228 RAJA YOGA. 

edge about an object, by the employment of which the 
Attention may be firmly directed toward the object, 
and then afterwards held there unconsciously — that 
is, a portion of the Attention, or a sub-conscious phase 
of mentation, which will hold the sub-conscious mind 
firmly upon the work until accomplished, leaving the 
conscious Attention and mentality free to employ it- 
self with other things. 

The Yogis teach the students that this new form 
of Attention is far more intense and powerful than is 
the conscious Attention, for it cannot be disturbed 
or shaken, or distracted from its object, and that it 
will work away at its task for days, months, years, or 
a lifetim.e if necessary, according to the difficulty of 
the task, and in fact carries its work over from one 
life to another, unless recalled by the Will. They 
teach the student that in everyone's life there is going 
on a greater or less degree of this sub-conscious work, 
carried on in obedience to a strong desire for knowl- 
edge manifested in some former life, and bearing fruit 
only in the present existence. Many important dis- 
coveries have been made in obedience to this lav/. 
But it is not of this phase of the matter that we wish to 
speak in this lesson. 

The Yogi theory is that the sub-conscious intellec- 
tual faculty may be set to work under the direction 
of orders given by the Will. All of you know how the 
sub-conscious mentality will take up an order of the 
Will, or a strong wish, that the person be awakened at 
a certain hour in order to catch a train. Or, in the 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 229 

same way how the remembrance of a certain engage- 
ment at, say, four o'clock, will flash into the mind when 
the hands of the clock approach the stated hour. 
Nearly every one can recall instances of this sort in 
his own experience. 

But the Yogis go much further than this. They 
claim that any and all faculties of the mind may be 
"set going," or working on any problem, if ordered 
thereto by the Will. In fact, the Yogis, and their ad- 
vanced students have mastered this art to such a sur- 
prising extent that they find it unnecessary to do the 
drudgery of thinking in the conscious field, and pre- 
fer to relegate such mental work to the sub-conscious, 
reserving their conscious work for the consideration 
of digested information and thought presented to 
them by the sub-conscious mind. 

Their directions to their students cover a great deal 
of ground, and extend over a long period of time, 
and many of the directions are quite complicated and 
full of detail. But we think that we can give our 
students an abbreviated and condensed idea in a few 
pages of the lesson. And the remaining lessons of the 
course will also throw additional light on the subject 
of sub-conscious mental action, in connection with 
other subjects. 

The Yogi takes the student when the latter is much 
bothered by a consideration of some knotty and per- 
plexing philosophical subject. He bids the student 
relax every muscle, — ^take the tension from every 
nerve — throw aside all mental strain, and then wait 



230 RAJA YOGA. 

a few moments. Then tha stiuient is, instructed to 
grasp the subject which he has had before his mind, 
firmly and fixedly before his mental vision, by means 
of concentration. Then he is instructed to pass it on 
to the sub-conscious mentality by an effort of the Will, 
which effort is aided by forming a mental picture of 
the subject as a material substance, or bundle of 
thought^ which is being bodily lifted up and dropped 
down a mental hatch-way, or trap-door, in which it 
sinks from sight. The student is then instructed 
to say to the sub-conscious mentality: 'T wish this 
subject thoroughly analyzed, arranged, classified (and 
whatever else is desired) and then the results handed 
back to me. Attend to this." 

The student is taught to speak to the sub-conscious 
mentality just as if it were a separate entity of being, 
which had been employed to do the work. He is also 
taught that confident expectation is an important part 
of the process, and that the degree of success depends 
upon the degree of this confident expectation. 

In obstinate cases, the student is taught to use the 
Imagination freely, until he is able to make a mental 
image or picture of the sub-conscious mind doing what 
is required of it. This process clears away a mental 
path for the feet of the sub-conscious mind, which it 
will choose thereafter, as it prefers to follow the line 
of least resistance. 

Of course much depends upon practice — ^practice 
makes perfect, you know, in everything else, and sub- 
consciousing is no exception to the rule. 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 231 

The student gradually acquires a proficiency in the 
art of sub-consciousing, and thereafter devotes his 
time to acquiring new facts for mental digestion, 
rather than bestowing it upon the mechanical act of 
thinking. 

But a very important point to be remembered is 
that the Will-power back of the transferred thought- 
material, which Will-power is the cause of the sub- 
conscious action, depends very greatly upon the at- 
tention and interest given to the acquired material. 
This mass of thought-material which is to be digested, 
and threshed out by the sub-conscious mind, must 
be well saturated with interest and attention, in order 
to obtain the best results. In fact interest and atten- 
tion are such important aids to the Will, that any con- 
sideration of the development and acquirement of 
Will-power is practically a development and acquire- 
ment of attention and interest. The student is re- 
ferred to previous lessons in this course in which the 
importance of interest and attention is explained and 
described. 

In acquiring the mass of thought-material which is 
to be passed on to the sub-conscious digestion, one 
must concentrate a great degree of interest and atten- 
tion upon each item of thought-material gathered up. 
The gathering of this thought-material is a matter of 
the greatest importance, and must not be lightly 
passed by. One cannot hastily gather together all 
sorts of thought-material, and then expect the sub- 
conscious mind to do its work properly — it will not, 



232 RAJA YOGA. 

in fact, and the student proceeding upon any such 
erroneous supposition is doomed to disappointment. 

The proper way to proceed, is to take up each bit 
of thought-material in turn, and examine it with the 
greatest possible interest, and consequently the great- 
est attention, and then after having fairly saturated 
it with this interested attention, place it with the pile 
of material which, after a while, is to be passed on to 
the sub-conscious mentality. Then take up the next 
bit of material, and after giving it similar treatment, 
pass it along to the pile also. Then after a while 
when you have gathered up the main facts of the case, 
proceed to consider the mass as a whole, with interest 
and attention, giving it as it were a "general treat- 
ment." Then drop it down the trap-door into the 
sub-conscious mind, with a strong command, "Attend 
to this thought-material," coupled with a strong ex- 
pectant belief that your order will be obeyed. 

The idea underlying this treatment of the thought- 
material with interest and attention is that by so do- 
ing a strong "Mental Image" is created, which may 
be easily handled by the sub-conscious mind. Re- 
member that you are passing on "thoughts" for the 
sub-consciousness to act upon, and that the more tan- 
gible and real these thoughts are, the better can they 
be handled. Therefore any plan that will build these 
thoughts up into "real" things is the plan to pursue. 
And attention and interest produce just this result. 

If we may be pardoned for using a homely and com- 
monplace illustration we would say that the idea may 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 233 

be grasped by the illustration of boiling an- egg, 
whereby the fluid "white" and "yolk" becomes solid 
and real. Also the use of a shaving brush by a man, 
by which the thin lather is gradually worked up into 
a rich, thick, creamy mass, is an illustration. Again, 
the churning of butter is a favorite illustration of the 
Hindus, who thus call the attention of their students 
to the fact that thought-material if worked upon with 
attention and interest become "thought-forms" that 
may be handled by the mind just as the hands handle 
a material object. We ask you to think of these illus- 
trations, for when you once grasp the idea that we wish 
to convey to you, you will have the secret of great 
thinking powers within your grasp. 

And this power of sub-consciousing is not confined 
alone to the consideration of philosophical questions. 
On the contrary it is applicable to every field of hu- 
man thought, and may be properly employed in any 
and all of them. It is useful in solving the problems 
of every-day life and work, as well as to the higher 
flights of the human mind. And we wish every one 
of our students to realize that in this simple lesson we 
are giving them the key to a great mental power. 

To realize just what we are oflfering to you, we 
would remind you of the old fairy tales of all races, in 
which there is to be found one or more tales telling 
of some poor cobbler, or tailor, or carpenter, as the 
case may be, who had by his good deeds, gained favor 
with the "brownies" or good fairies, who would come 
each night when the man and his family were asleep. 



234 RAJA YOGA. 

and proceed to complete the work that the artisan had 
laid out for the morrow. The pieces of leather would 
be made into shoes; the cloth would be sewed into 
garments; the wood would be joined, and nailed to- 
gether into boxes, chairs, benches and what not. But 
in each case the rough materials were prepared by the 
artisan himself during the day. 

Well, that is just what we are trying to introduce to 
you. A clan of mental brownies, loving and kindly 
disposed toward you, who are anxious and willing to 
help you in your work. All you have to do is to give 
them the proper materials, and tell then what you 
want done, and they will do the rest. But these men- 
tal brownies are a part of your own mentality, remem- 
ber, and no alien and foreign entities, as some have 
imagined. 

A number of people who have accidentally discov- 
ered this power of the sub-conscious mind to work 
out problems, and to render other valuable service to 
its owner, have been led to suppose that the aid really 
came from some other entity or intelligence. Some 
have thought that the messages came from friends in 
the spirit land, and others have believed that some high 
intelligence — God or his angels — was working in their 
behalf. Without discussing spirit communication, or 
Divine messages, in both of which we believe (with 
certain provisional reservations) we feel justified in 
saying that the majority of cases of this kind may 
be referred to the sub-conscious workings of one's 
own mentalitv. 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 235 

Each of us has "a friend" in our own mind — a 
score of them in fact, who delight in performing serv- 
ices for us, if we will but allow them to do so. Not 
only have we a Higher Self to whom we may turn for 
comfort and aid in times of deep distress and neces- 
sity, but we have these invisible mental workers on the 
sub-conscious plane, who are very willing and glad to 
perform much of our mental work for us, if we will 
but give them the material in proper shape. 

It is very difficult to impart specific directions for 
obtaining these results, as each case must depend to 
a great extent upon the peculiar circumstances sur- 
rounding it. But we may say that the main thing 
needed is to "lick into shape" the material, and then 
pass it on to the sub-conscious mind in the manner 
.spoken of a few moments ago. Let us run over a few 
cases wherein this principle may be applied. 

Let us suppose that you are confronted with a 
problem consisting of an uncertainty as to which of 
two or more courses to adopt in some afifair of life. 
Each course seems to have advantages and disadvan- 
tages, and you seem unable to pass upon the matter 
clearly and intelligently. The more you try the more 
perplexed and worried do you become. Your mind 
seems to tire of the matter, and manifests a state which 
may be called "mental nausea." This state will be 
apparent to any one who has had much "thinking" to 
do. The average person, however, persists in going 
over the matter, notwithstanding the tired condition 
of the mind, and its evident distaste for a further con- 



236 RAJA YOGA. 

sideration of the subject. They will keep on forcing 
it back to the mind for consideration, and even at night 
time will keep thrashing away at the subject. Now 
this course is absurd. The mind recognizes that the 
work should be done by another part of itself — its di- 
gestive region, in fact — and naturally rebels at the fin- 
ishing-up machinery being employed in work unsuited 
for it. 

According to the Sub-consciousing plan, the best 
thing for the man to do would be for him first to calm 
and quiet his mind. Then he should arrange the 
main features of the problem, together with the minor 
details in their proper places. Then he should pass 
them slowly before him in review, giving a strong in- 
terest and attention to each fact and detail, as it passes 
before him, but without the slightest attempt to form 
a decision, or come to a conclusion. Then, having 
given the matter an interested and attentive review, 
let him Will that it pass on to his sub-conscious mind, 
forming the mental image of dropping it through the 
trap-door, and at the same time giving the command 
of the Will, "Attend to this for me!" 

Then dismiss the matter from your conscious mind, 
by an effort of command of the Will. If you find it 
difficult to do this, you may soon acquire the mastery 
by a frequent assertion, "I have dismissed this matter 
from my conscious mind, and my sub-conscious mind 
will attend to it for me." Then, endeavor to create 
a mental feeling of perfect trust and confidence in the 
matter, and avoid all worrv or anxietv about it. This 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 237 

may be somewhat difficult at the first trial, but will be- 
come a natural feeling after you have gained the con- 
fidence arising from successful results in several cases. 
The matter is one of practice, and, like anything else 
that is new, must be acquired by perseverance and pa- 
tience. It is well worth the time and trouble, and 
once acquired will be regarded as something in the 
nature of a treasure discovered in an unexpected place. 
The sense of tranquillity and content — of calm and 
confidence — that comes to one who has practiced this 
plan, will of itself be worth all the trouble, not to speak 
of the main result. To one who has acquired this 
method, the old worries, frettings, and general "stewed 
up" feeling, will seem like a relic of barbarism. The 
new way opens up a world of new feelings and con- 
tent. 

In some cases the matter will be worked out by the 
sub-conscious mind in a very short time, and in fact 
we have known cases in which the answer would be 
flashed back almost instantly, almost like an inspira- 
tion. But in the majority of cases more or less time 
is required. The sub-conscious mind works very rap- 
idly, but it takes time to arrange the thought-material 
properly, and to shape it into the desired forms. In 
the majority of cases it is well to let the matter rest 
until the next day — a fact that gives us a clue to the 
old advice to "sleep over" an important proposition, 
before passing a final decision. 

If the matter does not present itself the following 
day, bring it up again before the conscious mind for 



238 RAJA YOGA. 

review. You will find that it has sliaped itself up con- 
siderably, and is assuming definite form and clear- 
ness. But right here — and this is important — do not 
make the mistake of again dissecting it, and meddling 
with it, and trying to arrange it with your conscious 
mind. But, instead, give it attention and interest 
in its new form, and then pass it back again to the 
sub-conscious mind for further work. You will find 
an improvement each time you examine it. But, 
right here another word of caution. Do not make the 
mistake of yielding to the impatience of the beginner, 
and keep on repeatedly bringing up the matter to see 
what is being done. Give it time to have the work 
done on it. Do not be like the boy who planted seeds, 
and who each day would pull them up to see whether 
they had sprouted, and how much. 

Sooner or later, the sub-conscious mind will, of its 
own choice, lift up the matter and present it to you 
in its finished shape for the consideration of the con- 
scious mind. The sub-conscious mind does not insist 
that you shall adopt its views, or accept its work, but 
merely hands out to you the result of its sorting, class- 
ifying and arranging. The choice and will still re- 
mains yours, but you will often find that there is seen 
to be one plan or path that stands out clearly from 
the others, and you will very likely adopt that one. 
The secret is that the sub-conscious mind with its won- 
derful patience and care has analyzed the matter, and 
has separated things before apparently connected. It 
has also found resemblances and has combined 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 239 

things heretofore considered opposed to each other. 
In short it has done for you all that you could have 
done with the expenditure of great work and time, 
and done it well. And then it lays the matter before 
you for your consideration and verdict. 

Its whole work seems to have been in the nature 
of assorting, dissecting, analyzing, and arranging the 
evidence, and then presenting it before you in a clear, 
systematic shape. It does not attempt to exercise the 
judicial prerogative or function, but seems to recog- 
nize that its work ceases with the presentation of the 
edited evidence, and that of the conscious mind begins 
at the same point. 

Now, do not confuse this work with that of the In- 
tuition, which is a very different mental phase or 
plane. This sub-Conscious working, just mentioned, 
plays an entirely different part. It is a good servant, 
and does not try to be more. The Intuition, on the 
contrary, is more like a higher friend — a friend at 
court, as it were, who gives us warnings and advice. 

In our directions we have told you how to make use 
of this part of the mind, consciously and knowingly, 
so as to obtain the best results, and to get rid of worry 
and anxiety attendant upon unsettled questions. But, 
in fact, every one of us makes more or less use of this 
part of the mind unconsciously, and not realizing the 
important part it plays in our mental life. We are 
perplexed about a matter and keep it "on our minds" 
until we are forced to lay it aside by reason of some 
other demand, or when we sink to sleep. Often to 



240 . RAJA YOGA. 

our surprise we will find that when we next think of 
it the matter has somehow cleared up and straightened 
itself out, and we seem to have learned something 
about it that we did not know before. We do not un- 
derstand it, and are apt to dismiss it as "just one of 
those things." In these lessons we are attempting to 
explain some of "those things," and to enable you to 
use them consciously and understanding^, instead of 
by chance, instinctively, and clumsily. We are teach- 
ing you Mastery of the Mind. 

Now to apply the rule to another case. Suppose 
you wish to gather together all the information that 
you possess relating to a certain subject. In the first 
place it is certain that you know a very great deal more 
about any subject than you think you do. Stored 
away in the various recesses of the mind, or memory 
if you prefer that term, are stray bits of information 
and knowledge concerning almost any subject. But 
these bits of information are not associated with each 
other. You have never attempted to think attentively 
upon the particular question before you, and the facts 
are not corelated in the mind. It is just as if you had 
so many hundred pounds of anything scattered 
throughout the space of a large warehouse, a tiny bit 
here, and a tiny bit there, mixed up with thousands 
of other things. 

You may prove this by sitting down some time and 
letting your thoughts run along the line of some par- 
ticular subject, and you will find emerging into the 
field of consciousness all sorts of information that vou 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 241 

had apparently forgotten, and each fitting itself into 
its proper place. Every person has had experiences 
of this kind. But the work of gathering together the 
scattered scraps of knowledge is more or less tedious 
for the conscious mind, and the sub-conscious mind 
will do the work equally well with the wear and tear 
on the attention. In fact, it is the sub-conscious mind 
that always does the work, even when you think it is 
the conscious mind. All the conscious mind does is 
to hold the attention firmly upon the object before it, 
and then let the sub-consciousness pass the material 
before it. But this holding the attention is tiresome 
work, and it is not necessary for it to expend its en- 
ergies upon the details of the task, for the work may 
be done in an easier and simpler way. 

The best way is to follow a plan similar to the one 
mentioned a few pages back. That is, to fix the in- 
terested attention firmly upon the question before you, 
until you manage to get a clear, vivid impression of 
just what you want answered. Then pass the whole 
matter into the sub-conscious mind with the command 
"Attend to this," and then leave it. Throw the whole 
matter off of your mind, and let the sub-conscious 
work go on. If possible let the matter run along until 
the next morning and then take it up for consideration, 
when, if you have proceeded properly you will find 
the matter worked out, arranged in logical sequence, 
so that your conscious attention will be able to clearly 
review the string of facts, examples, illustrations, ex- 
periences, etc., relating to the matter in question, 



242 RAJA YOGA. 

Now, many of you will say that you would like this 
plan to work in cases in which you have not the time 
to sleep over it. In such cases we will say that it is 
possible to cultivate a rapid method of sub-conscious- 
ing, and in fact many business men and men of af- 
fairs have stumbled upon a similar plan, driven to the 
discovery by necessity. They will give a quick, com- 
prehensive, strong flash of attention upon the subject, 
getting right to the heart of it, and then will let it 
rest in the sub-conscious mind for a moment or two, 
killing a minute or two of time in "preliminary con- 
versation," until the first flash of answer comes to 
them. After the first flash, and taking hold of the 
first loose end of the subject that presents itself to 
them, they will unwind a string of information and 
"talk" about the subject that will surprise even them- 
selves. Many lawyers have acquired this knowledge, 
and are what is known as "resourceful." Such men 
are often confronted with questions of conditions ut- 
terly unsuspected by them a moment before. Practice 
has taught them the folly of fear and loss of confi- 
dence at such moments, and has also impressed upon 
them the truth that something within them will come 
to the rescue. So, presenting a confident air, they will 
manage to say a few platitudes or commonplaces, 
while the sub-conscious mind is most rapidly gather- 
ing its materials for the answer. In a moment an 
opening thought "flashes upon" the man, and as he 
continues idea after idea passes before his conscious 
and eager attention, sometimes so rapidly that it is 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 243 

almost impossible to utter them and lo ! the danger is 
over, and a brilhant success is often snatched from 
the jaws of an apparent failure and defeat. In such 
cases the mental demand upon the sub-conscious mind 
is not voiced in words, but is the result of a strong 
mental need. However, if one gives a quick verbal 
command "Attend to this," the result will be height- 
ened. 

We have known of cases of men prominent in the 
world's affairs who made a practice of smoking a 
cigar during important business interviews, not be- 
cause they particularly cared for tobacco, but be- 
cause they had learned to appreciate the value of a 
moment's tim.e for the mind to "gather itself to- 
gether," as one man expressed it. A question would 
be asked, or a proposition advanced suddenly, demand- 
ing an immediate answer. Under the watchful eyes 
of the other party the questioned party tried not to 
show by his expression any indication of searching 
for an answer, for obvious reasons. So, instead, he 
would take a long pufif at the cigar, then a slow at- 
tentive look at the ashes on its tip, and then another 
moment consumed in flicking the ash into the recep- 
tacle, and then came the answer, slowly, "Well, as to 
that — " or some other words of that kind, prefacing 
the real answer which had been rapidly framed by 
the sub-conscious mind in time to be uttered in its 
proper place. The few moments of time gained had 
been sufficient for the sub-conscious mind to gather 
up its materials, and the matter to be shaped prop- 



244 RAJA YOGA. 

erly, without any appearance of hesitation on the part 
of the answerer. All of this required practice, of 
course, but the principle may be seen through it all, 
and in every similar case. The point is that the man, 
in such cases, sets some hidden part of his mind to 
work for him, and when he begins to speak the mat- 
ter is at least roughly "licked into shape for him." 

Our students will understand, of course, that this 
is not advice to smoke cigars during interviews of im- 
portance, but is merely given to illustrate the prin- 
ciple. We have known other men to twirl a lead pen- 
cil in their fingers in a lazy sort of fashion, and then 
drop it at the important moment. But we must cease 
giving examples of this kind, lest we be accused of 
giving instructions in worldly wisdom, instead of 
teaching the use of the mind. The impressive pause 
of the teacher, before answering his pupil's question, 
is also an example of the workings of this law. One 
often says "stop, let me think a moment," and during 
his pause he does not really consciously think at all, 
but stares ahead in a dreamy fashion, while his sub- 
conscious mind does the work for him, although he lit- 
tle suspects the nature of the operation. One has but 
to look around him to realize the importance and fre- 
quent application of this truth. 

And not only may the sub-conscious mind be used 
in the directions indicated on preceding pages, but in 
nearly every perplexity and problem of life may it be 
called upon for help. These little sub-conscious 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 245 

brownies are ever at our disposal, and seem to be 
happy to be of service to us. 

And so far from being apt to get us in a position 
of false dependence, it is calculated to make us self- 
confident — for we are calling upon a part of ourselves, 
not upon some outside intelligence. If those people 
who never feel satisfied unless they are getting "ad- 
vice" from others would only cultivate the acquain- 
tance of this little "home adviser" within them, they 
would lose that dependent attitude and frame of mind, 
and would grow self-confident and fearless. Just 
imagine the confidence of one who feels that he has 
within him a source of knowledge equal to that of 
the majority of those with whom he is likely to come 
in contact, and he feels less afraid to face them, and 
look them fearlessly in the eyes. He feels that his 
"mind" is not confined to the little field of conscious- 
ness, but is an area infinitely greater, containing a mass 
of information undreamed of. Everything that the 
man has inherited, or brought with him from past 
lives — everything that he has read, heard or seen, or 
experienced in this life, is hidden away there in some 
quarter of that great sub-conscious mind, and, if he 
will but give the command, the "essence" of all that 
knowledge is his. The details may not be presented to 
his consciousness ^ (often it is not, for very good oc- 
cult reasons) by ^he result, or essence of the knowl- 
edge v;ill pass before his attention, with sufficient ex- 
amples and illustrations, or arguments to enable him 
to make out "a good case" for himself. 



246 RAJA YOGA. 

In the next lesson we will call your attention to 
other features and qualities of this great field of mind, 
showing you how you can put it to work, and Master 
it. Remember, always, the "I" is the Master. And 
its Mastery must always be remembered and asserted 
over all phases and planes of the mind. Do not be a 
slave to the sub-conscious, but be its MASTER. 



SUB-CONSCIOUSING. 247 



MANTRAM (OR AFFIRMATION). 



I have within me a great area of Mind that is un- 
der my command, and subject to my Mastery. This 
Mind is friendly to me, and is glad to do my bidding, 
and obey my orders. It will work for me when I ask 
it, and is constant, untiring, and faithful. Knowing 
this I am no longer afraid, ignorant or uninformed. 
The "I" is master of it all, and is asserting its author- 
ity. "I" am master over Body, Mind, Consciousness, 
and Sub-consciousness. I am "I" — a Centre of Power, 
Strength, and Knowledge. I am "I" — and "1" am 
Spirit, a fragment from the Divine Flame. 



THE ELEVENTH LESSON. 

Subconscious Character Building. 

In our last lesson (the Tenth Lesson) we called 
your attention to the wonderful work of the sub-con- 
scious regions of mentation in the direction of the 
performance of Intellectual work. Great as are 
the possibilities of this field of mentation in the direc- 
tion named, they are equaled by the possibilities of 
building up character by similar methods. 

Every one realizes that one may change his char- 
acter by a strenuous course of repression and train- 
ing, and nearly all who read these lines have modi- 
fied their characteristics somewhat by similar meth- 
ods. But it is only of late years that the general pub- 
lic have become aware that Character might be modi- 
fied, changed, and sometimes completely altered by 
means of an intelligent use of the sub-conscious fac- 
ulties of the mind. 

The word "Character" is derived from ancient 
terms meaning "to mark," "to engrave," etc., and some 
authorities inform us that the term originally arose 
from the word used by the Babylonian brickmakers 
to designate the trade mark impressed by them upon 
their bricks, each maker having his own mark. This 
is interesting, in view of the recent theories regard- 
ing the cultivation of characteristics which may be 
found in the current Western works on psychology. 
But these theories are not new to the Yogi teachers of 

249 



250 RAJA YOGA. 

the East, who have employed similar methods for 
centuries past in training their students and pupils. 
The Yogis have long taught that a man's character 
was, practically, the crude character-stuff possessed 
by him at his birth, modified and shaped by outside in- 
fluences in the case of the ordinary man, and by de- 
liberate self-training and shaping by the wise man. 
Their pupils are examined regarding their character- 
istics, and then directed to repress the undesirable 
traits, and to cultivate the desirable ones. 

The Yogi practice of Character Building is based 
upon the knowledge of the wonderful powers of 
the sub-conscious plane of the mind. The pupil is 
not required to pursue strenuous methods of repres- 
sion or cultivation, but, on the contrary, is taught that 
such methods are opposed to nature's plans, and that 
the best way is to imitate nature and to gradually 
unfold the desired characteristics by means of focus- 
ing the will-power and attention upon them. The 
weeding out of undesirable characteristics is ac- 
complished by the pupil cultivating the characteristics 
directly opposed to the undesirable ones. For in- 
stance, if the pupil desires to overcome Fear, he is 
not instructed to concentrate on Fear with the idea 
of killing it out, but, instead, is taught to mentally 
deny that he has Fear, and then to concentrate his at- 
tention upon the ideal of Courage. When Courage is 
developed. Fear is found to have faded away. The 
positive always overpowers the negative. 

In the word "ideal" is found the secret of the Yogi 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 251 

method of sub-conscious character building. The 
teachings are to the effect that "ideals" may be built 
up by the bestowal of attention upon them. The 
student is given the example of a rose bush. He 
is taught that the plant will grow and flourish in 
the measure that care and attention is bestowed upon 
it and vice versa. He is taught that the ideal of some 
desired characteristic is a mental rosebush, and that 
by careful attention it will grow and put forth leaves 
and flowers. He is then given some minor mental 
trait to develop, and is taught to dwell upon it in 
thought — to exercise his imagination and to mentally 
"see" himself attaining the desired quality. He is 
given mantrams or affirmation to repeat, for the pur- 
pose of giving him a mental center around which 
to build an ideal. There is a mighty power in words, 
used in this way, providing that the user always thinks 
of the meaning of the words, and makes a mental pic- 
ture of the quality expressed by them, instead of 
merely repeating them parrot fashion. 

The Yogi student is trained gradually, until he ac- 
quires the power of conscious direction of the sub- 
conscious mind in the building up process, which 
power comes to anyone — Oriental or Occidental — 
who will take the trouble to practice. In fact, nearly 
everyone possesses and actively uses this power, al- 
though he may not be aware of it. One's character 
is largely the result of the quality of thoughts held 
in the mind, and of the mental pictures or ideals en- 
tertained by the person. The man who constantly 



252 RAJA YOGA. 

sees and thinks of himself as unsuccessful and down- 
trodden is very apt to grow ideals of thought forms 
of these things until his whole nature is dominated 
by them, and his every act works toward the objectifi- 
cation of the thoughts. On the contrary, the man 
who makes an ideal of success and accomplishment,, 
finds that his whole mental nature seems to work to- 
ward that result — the objectification of the ideal. And 
so it is with every other ideal. The person who builds 
up a mental ideal of Jealousy will be very apt to ob- 
jectify the same, and to unconsciously create condi- 
tion that will give his Jealousy food upon which to 
feed. But this particular phase of the subject, prop- 
erly belongs to our next lesson. This Eleventh Les- 
son is designed to point out the way by which people 
may mould their characters in any way they desire — 
supplanting undesirable characteristics by desirable 
ones, and developing desirable ideals into active char- 
acteristics. The mind is plastic to him who knows 
the secret of its manipulation. 

The average person recognizes his strong and weak 
points of character, but is very apt to regard them as 
fixed and unalterable, or practically so. He thinks 
that he "is just as the Lord made him," and that is 
the end of it. He fails to recognize that his character 
is being unconsciously modified every day by associa- 
tion with others, whose suggestions are being absorbed 
and acted upon. And he fails to see that 
he is moulding his own character by taking 
interest in certain things, and allowing his 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 253 

mind to dwell upon them. He does not realize that 
he himself is really the maker of himself, from the 
raw and crude material given him at his birth. He 
makes himself negatively or positively. Negatively, 
if he allows himself to be moulded by the thoughts and 
ideals of others, and positively, if he moulds himself. 
Everyone is doing one or the other — perhaps both. 
The weak man is the one who allows himself to be 
made by others, and the strong man is the one who 
takes the building process in his own hands. 

The process of Character-building is so delightfully 
simple that its importance is apt to be overlooked 
by the majority of persons who are made acquainted 
with it. It is only by actual practice and the experi- 
encing of results that its wonderful possibilities are 
borne home to one. 

The Yogi student is early taught the lesson of the 
power and importance of character building by some 
strong practical example. For instance, the student 
is found to have certain tastes of appetite, such as a 
like for certain things, and a corresponding dislike 
for others. The Yogi teacher instructs the student 
in the direction of cultivating a desire and taste for 
the disliked thing; and a dislike for the liked thing. He 
teaches the student to fix his mind on the two things, 
but in the direction of imagining that he likes the one 
thing and dislikes the other. The student is taught 
to make a mental picture of the desired conditions, 
and to say, for instance, "I loathe candy — I dislike 
even the sight of it," and, on the other hand, "I 



254 RAJA YOGA. 

crave tart things — I revel in the taste of theni," etc., 
etc., at the same time trying to reproduce the taste of 
sweet things accompanied with a loathing, and a taste 
of tart things, accompanied with a feeling of delight. 
After a bit the student finds that his tastes are actually 
changing in accordance with his thoughts, and in the 
end they have completely changed places. The truth 
of the theory is then borne home to the student, and 
he never forgets the lesson. 

In order to reassure readers who might object to 
having the student left in this condition of reversed 
tastes, we may add that the Yogi teachers then teach 
him to get rid of the idea of the disliked thing, and 
teach him to cultivate a liking for all wholesome things, 
their theory being that the dislike of certain whole- 
some eatables has been caused by some suggestion in 
childhood, or by some prenatal impression, as 
wholesome eatables are made attractive to the 
taste by Nature. The idea of all this training, 
however, is not the cultivation of taste, but practice 
in mental training, and the bringing home to the stu- 
dent the truth of the fact that his nature is plastic to 
his Ego, and that it may be moulded at will, by con- 
centration and intelligent practice. The reader of 
this lesson may experiment upon himself along the 
lines of the elementary Yogi practice as above men- 
tioned, if he so desires. He will find it possible to en- 
tirely change his dislike for certain food, etc., by the 
methods mentioned above. He may likewise acquire 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 255 

a liking for heretofore distasteful tasks and duties, 
which he finds it necessary to perform. 

The principle underlying the whole Yogi theory of 
Character Building by the sub-conscious Intellect, is 
that the Ego is Master of the mind, and that the mind 
is plastic to the commands of the Ego. The Ego or 
"I" of the individual is the one real, permanent, 
changeless principle of the individual, and the mind, 
like the body, is constantly changing, moving, growing, 
and dying. Just as the body may be developed and 
m.oulded by intelligent exercises, so may the mind be 

developed and shaped by the Ego if intelligent meth- 
ods are followed. 

The majority of people consider that Character is 
a fixed something, belonging to a man, that cannot 
be altered or changed. And yet they show by their 
everyday actions that at heart they do not believe 
this to be a fact, for they endeavor to change and 
mould the characters of those around them, by word 
of advice, counsel, praise or condemnation, etc. 

It is not necessary to go into the matter of the 
consideration of the causes of character in this lesson. 
We will content ourselves by saying that these causes 
may be summed up, roughly, as follows : ( i ) Result 
of experiences in past lives; (2) Heredity; (3) En- 
vironment; (4) Suggestion from others, and (5) 
Auto-suggestion. But no matter how one's char- 
acter has been formed, it may be modified, moulded, 
changed, and improved by the methods set forth in 



256 RAJA YOGA. 

this lesson, which methods are similar to what is 
called by Western writers, "Auto-suggestion." 

The underlying idea of Auto-suggestion is the 
"willing" of the individual that the changes take place 
in his mind, the willing being aided by intelligent and 
tried methods of creating the new ideal or thought- 
form. The first requisite for the changed condition 
must be "desire" for the change. Unless one really 
desires that the change take place, he is unable to 
bring his Will to bear on the task. There is a very 
close connection between Desire and Will. Will is 
not usually brought to bear upon anything unless it is 
inspired by Desire. Some people connect the word 
Desire with the lower inclinations, but it is equally 
applicable to the higher. If one fights ofif a low in- 
clination or Desire, it is because he is possessed of a 
higher inclination or Desire. Many Desires are really 
compromises between two or more conflicting De- 
sires — a sort of average Desire, as it were. 

Unless one desires to change his character he will 
not make any move toward it. And in proportion to 
the strength of the desire, so will be the amount of 
will-power that is put in the task. The first thing for 
one to do in character building is to "want to do it." 
And if he finds that the "want" is not sufficiently 
strong to enable him to manifest the persever- 
ance and effort necessary to bring it to a successful 
conclusion, then he should deliberately proceed to 
"build up the desire." 

Desire may be built up by allowing the mind to 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 257 

dwell upon the subject until a desire is created. This 
rule works both ways, as many people have found 
out to their sorrow and misery. Not only may one 
build up a commendable desire in this way, but he 
may also build up a reprehensible one. A little 
thought will show you the truth of this statement. 
A young man has no desire to indulge in the ex- 
cesses of a "fast" life. But after a while he hears, or 
reads something about others leading that sort of life, 
and he begins to allow his mind to dwell upon the 
subject, turning it around and examining it mentally, 
and going over it in his imagination. After a time he 
begins to find a desire gradually sending forth roots 
and branches, and if he continues to water the thing 
in his imagination, before long he will find within 
himself a blossoming inclination, which will try to 
insist upon expression in action. There is a great truth 
behind the words of the poet: 

"Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, 

That to be hated needs but to be seen. 

Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, 

We first endure, then pity, and then embrace." 

And the follies and crimes of many a man have been 
due to the growing of desire within his mind, through 
this plan of planting the seed, and then carefully water- 
ing and tending to it — this cultivation of the growing 
desire. We have thought it well to give this word 
of warning because it will throw light upon many 



258 RAJA YOGA. 

things that may have perplexed you, and because it 
may serve to call your attention to certain growing 
weeds of the mind that you have been nourishing. 

But remember, always, that the force that leads 
downward may be transmuted and made to lead up- 
ward. It is just as easy to plant and grow wholesome 
desires as the other kind. If you are conscious of cer- 
tain defects and deficiencies in your character (and 
who is not?) and yet find yourself not possessed of a 
strong enough desire to make the changes necessary, 
then you should commence by planting the desire 
seed and allowing it to grow by giving it constant care 
and attention. You should picture to yourself the ad- 
vantages of acquiring the desirable traits of character 
of which you have thought. You should frequently 
go over and over them in your mind, imaging your- 
self in imagination as possessing them. You will 
then find that the growing desire will make headway 
and that you will gradually begin to "want to" possess 
that trait of character more and more. And when you 
begin to "want to" hard enough, you will find arising 
in your consciousness a feeling of the possession of 
sufficient Will-power to carry it through. Will fol- 
lows the Desire. Cultivate a Desire and you will 
find back of it the Will to carry it through. Under 
the pressure of a very strong Desire men have ac- 
complished feats akin to miracles. 

If you find yourself in possession of desires that 
you feel are hurtful to you, you may rid yourself of 
them by deliberately starving them to death, and at 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 259 

the same time growing opposite desires. By refusing 
to think of the objectionable desires you refuse them 
the mental food upon which alone they can thrive. 
Just as you starve a plant by refusing it nourishing 
soil and water, so may you starve out an objectionable 
desire by refusing to give it mental food. Remember 
this, for it is most important. Refuse to allow the 
mind to dwell upon such desires, and resolutely turn 
aside the attention, and, particularly, the imagination, 
from the subject. This may call for the manifestation 
of a little will-power in the beginning, but it will be- 
come easier as you progress, and each victory will 
give you renewed strength for the next fight. But do 
not temporize with the desire — do not compromise 
with it — refuse to entertain the idea. In a fight of 
this kind each victory gives one added strength, and 
each defeat weakens one. 

And while you are refusing to entertain the ob- 
jectionable guest you must be sure to grow a desire 
of an entirely opposite nature — a desire directly op- 
posed to the one you are starving to death. Picture 
the opposite desire, and think of it often. Let your 
mind dwell upon it lovingly and let the imagination 
help to build it up into form. Think of the advan- 
tages that will arise to you when you fully possess it, 
and let the imagination picture you as in full pos- 
session of it, and acting out your new part in life 
.strong and vigorous in your new found power. 

All this will gradually lead you to the point where 
you will "want to" possess this power. Then you 



26o RAJA YOGA. 

must be ready for the next step which is "Faith" or 
"Confident Expectation." 

Now, faith or confident expectation is not made to 
order in most persons, and in such cases one must ac- 
quire it gradually. Many of you who read these lines 
will have an understanding of the subject that will 
give you this faith. But to those who lack it, we 
suggest that they practice on some trivial phases 
of the mental make-up, some petty trait of 
character, in which the victory will be easy and sim- 
ple. From this stage they should work up to more 
difficult tasks, until at last they gain that faith or con- 
fident expectation that comes from persevering prac- 
tice. 

The greater the degree of faith or confident ex- 
pectation that one carries with him in this task of 
character building, the greater will be his success. 
And this because of well established psychological 
laws. Faith or confident expectation clears away the 
mental path and renders the work easier, while doubt 
or lack of faith retards the work, and acts as obstacles 
and stumbling blocks. Strong Desire, and Faith, or 
confident expectation are the first two steps. The 
third is Will-power. 

By Will-power we do not mean that strenuous, 
clenching-of-fist-and-frowning-brow thing that many 
think of when they say "Will." Will is not mani- 
fested in this way. The true Will is called into play 
by one realizing the "I" part of himself and speaking 
the word of command from that center of power and 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 261 

strength. It is the voice of the "I." And it is needed 
in this work of character building. 

So now you are ready for work, being possessed 
of (i) Strong Desire; (2) Faith or Confident Ex- 
pectation; and (3) Will-power. With such a triple- 
weapon nothing but Success is possible. 

Then comes the actual work. The first thing to do 
is to lay the track for a new Character Habit. 
"Habit?" you may ask in surprise. Yes, Habit! For 
that word gives the secret of the whole thing. Our 
characters are made up of inherited or acquired hab- 
its. Think over this a little and you will see the truth 
of it. You do certain things without a thought, be- 
cause you have gotten into the habit of doing them. 
You act in certain ways because you have established 
the habit. You are in the habit of being truthful, 
honest, virtuous, because you have established the 
habit of being so. Do you doubt this? Then look 
around you — or look within your own heart, and you 
will see that you have lost some of your old habits 
of action, and have acquired new ones. The build- 
ing up of Character is the building up of Habits. And 
the changing of Character is the changing of Habits. 
It will be well for you to settle this fact in your own 
mind, for it will give you the secret of many things 
connected with the subject. 

And, remember this, that Habit is almost entirely 
a matter of the sub-conscious mentality. It is true 
that Habits originate in the conscious mind, but as 
they are established they sink down into the depths 



262 RAJA YOGA. 

of the sub-conscious mentality, and thereafter be- 
come "second nature," which, by the way, is often 
more powerful than the original nature of the per- 
son. The Duke of Wellington said that habit was as 
strong as ten natures, and he proceeded to drill hab- 
its into his army until they found it natural to act in 
accordance with the habits pounded into them dur- 
ing the drills. Darwin relates an interesting instance 
of the force of habit over the reason. He found 
that his habit of starting back at the sudden approach 
of danger was so firmly established that no will-power 
could enable him to keep his face pressed up against 
the cage of the cobra in the Zoological Gardens when 
the snake struck at him, although he knew the glass 
was so thick that there could be no danger, and al- 
though he exerted the full force of his will. But we 
venture to say that one could overcome even this 
strongly ingrained habit, by gradually training the 
sub-conscious mentality and establishing a new habit 
of thought and action. 

It is not only during the actual process of "willing" 
the new habit that the work of making the new men- 
tal path goes on. In fact, the Yogis believe that 
the principal part of the work goes on sub-consciously 
between the intervals of command, and that the real 
progress is made in that way, just as the real work of 
solving the problem is performed sub-consciously, as 
related in our last lesson. As an example, we may 
call your attention to some instances of the cultiva- 
tion of physical habits. A physical task learned in 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 263 

the evening is much easier to perform the following 
morning than it was the night before, and still easier 
the following Monday morning than it was on the 
Saturday afternoon previous. The Germans have a 
saying that "we learn to skate in summer, and to swim 
in winter," meaning that the impression passed on 
to the sub-conscious mentality deepens and broadens 
during the interval of rest. The best plan is to make 
frequent, sharp impressions, and then to allow reason- 
able periods of rest in order to give the sub-conscious 
mentality the opportunity to do its work. By "sharp" 
impressions we mean impressions given under strong 
attention, as we have mentioned in some of the earlier 
lessons of this series. 

A writer has well said: "Sow an act, reap a habit; 
sow a habit, reap a character ; sow a character, reap a 
destiny," thus recognizing habit as the source of char- 
acter. We recognize this truth in our training of 
children, forming good habits of character by constant 
repetition, by watchfulness, etc. Habit acts as a mo- 
tive when established, so that while we think we are 
acting without motive we may be acting under the 
strong motive power of some well established habit. 
Herbert Spencer has well said: "The habitually hon- 
est man does what is right, not consciously because 
he 'ought' but with simple satisfaction; and is ill at 
ease till it is done." Some may object that this idea of 
Habit as a basis of Character may do away with the 
idea of a developed moral conscientiousness, as for 
instance, Josiah Royce who says : "The establishment 



264 RAJA YOGA. 

of organized habit is never in itself enough to ensure 
the growth of an enUghtened moral conscientiousness," 
but to such we would say that one must "want to" 
cultivate a high character before he will create the 
habits usual to the same, and the "want to" is the 
sign of the "moral conscientiousness," rather than the 
habit. And the same is true of the "ought to" side 
of the subject. The "ought to" arises in the conscious 
mind in the beginning, and inspires the cultivation 
of the habit, although the latter after a while becomes 
automatic, a matter of the sub-conscious mentalityj 
without any "ought to" attachment. It then becomes 
a matter of "like to." 

Thus we see that the moulding, modifying, changing, 
and building of Character is largely a matter of the 
establishing of Habits. And what is the best way 
to establish Habits? becomes our next question. The 
answer of the Yogi is : "Establish a Mental Image, and 
then build your Habit around it." And in that sen- 
tence he has condensed a whole system. 

Everything we see having a form is built around 
a mental image — either the mental image of some 
man, some animal, or of the Absolute. This is the 
rule of the universe, and in the matter of character- 
building we but follow a well established rule. When 
we wish to build a house, we first think of "house" in 
a general way. Then we begin to think of "what 
kind" of a house. Then we go into details. Then we 
consult an architect, and he makes us a plan, which 
plan is his mental image, suggested by our mental 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 265 

image. Then, the plan once decided upon, we consult 
the builder, and at last the house stands completed — 
an objectified Mental Image. And so it is with every 
created thing — all manifestation of a Mental Image. 

And so, when we wish to establish a trait of Char- 
acter, we must form a clear, distinct Mental Image of 
what we wish to be. This is an important step. Make 
your picture clear and distinct, and fasten it in your 
mind. Then begin to build around it. Let your 
thoughts dwell upon the mental picture. Let your 
imagination see yourself as possessed of the desired 
trait, and acting it out. Act it out in your imagina- 
tion, over and over again, as often as possible, perse- 
vering, and continuously, seeing yourself manifesting 
the trait under a variety of circumstances and condi- 
tions. As you continue to do this you will find that 
you will gradually begin to express the thought in 
action — ^to objectify the subjective mental image. It 
will become "natural" for you to act more and more 
in accordance with your mental image, until at last 
the new habit will become firmly fixed in your mind, 
and will become your natural mode of action and ex- 
pression. 

This is no vague, visionary theory. It is a well 
known and proven psychological fact, and thousands 
have worked marvelous changes in their character by 
ks means. 

Not only may one elevate his moral character in 
this way, but he may mould his "work-a-day" self to 
better conform to the needs of his environment and 



266 RAJA YOGA. 

occupation. If one lacks Perseverance, he may attain 
it; if one is filled with Fear, he may supplant it with 
Fearlessness ; if one lack Self-confidence, he may gain 
it. In fact, there is no trait that may not be developed 
in this way. People have literally "made themselves 
over" by following this method of character-building. 
The great trouble with the race has been that persons 
have not realized that they could do these things. They 
have thought that they were doomed to remain just 
the creatures that they found themselves to be. They 
did not realize that the work of creation was not 
ended, and that they had within themselves a creative 
power adapted to the needs of their case. When man 
first realizes this truth, and proves it by practice, he 
becomes another being. He finds himself superior to 
environment and training — he finds that he may ride 
over these things. He makes his own environment, 
and he trains himself. 

In some of the larger schools in England and the 
United States, certain scholars who have developed and 
manifested the ability to control themselves and their 
actions are placed on the roll of a grade called the 
"Self-governed grade." Those in this grade act as if 
they had memorized the following words of Herbert 
Spencer: "In the supremacy of self-control consists 
one of the perfections of the ideal man. Not to be 
impulsive — not to be spurred hither and thither by 
each desire — ^but to be self-restrained, self-balanced, 
goverfied by the just decision of the feelings in coun- 
cil assembled * * * that it is which moral 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 267 

education strives to produce," And this is the desire of 
the writer of this lesson — to place each student in the 
"Self-governed class." 

We cannot attempt, in the short space of a single 
lesson, to map out a course of instruction in Character 
Building adapted to the special needs of each indi- 
vidual. But we think that what we have said on the 
subject should be sufficient to point out the method 
for each student to map out a course for himself, fol- 
lowing the general rules given above. As a help to 
the student, however, we will give a brief course of 
instruction for the cultivation of one desirable trait 
of character. The general plan of this course may be 
adapted to fit the requirements of any other case, if 
intelligence is used by the student. The case we have 
selected is that of a student who has been suffering 
from "a lack of Moral Courage — a lack of Self-Con- 
fidence — an inability to maintain my poise in the pres- 
ence of other people — an inability to say 'No!' — a 
feeling of Inferiority to those with whom I come in 
contact." The brief outline of the course of practice 
given in this case is herewith given : 

Preliminary Thought. You should fix firmly in 
your mind the fact that you are the Equal of any and 
every man. You come from the same source. You 
are an expression of the same One Life. In the eyes 
of the Absolute you are the equal of any man, even 
the highest in the land. Trutli is "Things as God 
sees them" — and in Truth you and the man are equal, 
and, at the last. One. All feelings of Inferiority are 



268 RAJA YOGA. 

illusions, errors, and lies, and have no existence in 
Truth. When in the company of others remember this 
fact and realize that the Life Principle in you is talk- 
ing to the Life Principle in them. Let the Life Prin- 
ciple flow through you, and endeavor to forget your 
personal self. At the same time, endeavor to see 
that same Life Principle, behind and beyond the per- 
sonality of the person in whose presence you are. He 
is by a personality hiding the Life Principle, just as 
you are. Nothing more — nothing less ! You are both 
One in Truth. Let the conscious of the "I" beam 
forth and you will experience an uplift and sense of 
Courage, and the other will likewise feel it. You 
have within you the Source of Courage, Moral and 
Physical, and you have naught to Fear — Fearlessness 
is your Divine Heritage, avail yourself of it. You 
have Self-Conscience, for the Self is the "I" within 
you, not the petty personality, and you must have con- 
fidence in that "L" Retreat within yourself until you 
feel the presence of the "I," and then will you have a 
Self-Confidence that nothing can shake or disturb. 
Once having attained the permanent consciousness of 
the "I," you will have poise. Once having realized 
that you are a Center of Power, you will have no 
difficulty in saying "No !" when it is right to do so. 
Once having realized your true nature — your Real Self 
— you will lose all sense of Inferiority, and will know 
that you are a manifestation of the One Life and have 
behind you the strength, poAver, and grandeur of the 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 269 

Cosmos. Begin by realizing yourself^ and then pro- 
ceed with the following rnethods of training the mind. 

Word Images. It is difficult for the mind to build 
itself around an idea, unless that idea be expressed in 
words. A word is the center of an idea, just as the 
idea is the center of the mental image, and the mental 
image the center of the growing mental habit. There- 
fore, the Yogis always lay great stress upon the use 
of words in this way. In the particular case before 
us, we should suggest the holding before you of a few 
words crystallizing the main thought. We suggest the 
words "I Am"; Courage; Confidence; Poise; Firm- 
ness ; Equality. Commit these words to memory, and 
then endeavor to fix in your mind a clear conception 
of the meaning of each word, so that each may stand 
for a Live Idea when you say it. Beware of parrot- 
like or phonographic repetition. Let each word's 
meaning stand out clearly before you, so that when 
you repeat it you may feel its meaning. Repeat the 
words over frequently, when opportunity presents it- 
self, and you will soon begin to notice that they act as 
a strong mental tonic upon you, producing a bracing, 
energizing effect. And each time you repeat the words, 
understandingly, you have done something to clear 
away the mental path over which you wish to travel. 

Practice. When you are at leisure, and are able to 
indulge in "day dreams" without injury to your af- 
fairs of life, call your imagination into play and en- 
deavor to picture yourself as being possessed of the 
qualities indicated by the words named. Picture your- 



270 RAJA YOGA. 

self under the most trying circumstances, making use 
of the desired qualities, and manifesting them fully. 
Endeavor to picture yourself as acting out your part 
well, and exhibiting the desired qualities. Do not be 
ashamed to indulge in these day-dreams, for they are 
the prophecies of the things to follow, and you are but 
rehearsing your part before the day of the perform- 
ance. Practice makes perfect, and if you accustom 
yourself to acting in a certain way in imagination, you 
will find it much easier to play your part when the 
real performance occurs. This may seem childish to 
many of you, but if you have an actor among your ac- 
quaintances, consult him about it, and you will find 
that he will heartily recommend it. He will tell you 
what practice does for one in this direction, and how 
repeated practice and rehearsals may fix a character 
so firmly in a man's mind that he may find it difficult 
to divest himself of it after a time. Choose well the 
part you wish to play — the character you wish to be 
yours — and then after fixing it well in your mind, 
practice, practice, practice. Keep your ideal con- 
stantly before you, and endeavor to grow into it. And 
you will succeed, if you exercise patience and perse- 
verance. 

But, more than this. Do not confine your practice 
to mere private rehearsal. You need some "dress re- 
hearsals" as well — rehearsals in public. Therefore, 
after you get well started in your work, manage to ex- 
ercise your growing character-habits in your everyday 
life. Pick out the little cases first and "try it on them " 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 271 

You will find that you will be able to overcome con- 
ditions that formerly bothered you much. You will 
become conscious of a growing strength and power 
coming from within, and you will recognize that you 
are indeed a changed person. Let your thought ex- 
press itself in action, whenever you get a good chance. 
But do not try to force chances just to try your 
strength. Do not, for instance, try to force people 
to ask for favors that you may say ''No!" You will 
find plenty of genuine tests without forcing any. Ac- 
custom yourself to looking people in the eye, and 
feeling the power that is back of you, and within you. 
You will soon be able to see through their personality, 
and realize that it is just one portion of the One Life 
gazing at another portion, and that therefore there is 
nothing to be afraid of. A realization of your Real 
Self will enable you to maintain your poise under try- 
ing circumstances, if you will but throw aside your 
false idea about your personality. Forget yourself — 
your little personal self — for a while, and fix your 
mind on the Universal Self of which you are a part. 
All these things that have worried you are but inci- 
dents of the Personal Life, and are seen to be illu- 
sions when viev/ed from the standpoint of the Uni- 
versal Life. 

Carry the Universal Life with you as much as pos- 
sible into your everyday life. It belongs there as 
much as anywhere, and will prove to be a tower of 
strength and refuge to you in the perplexing situations 
of your busy life. 



272 RAJA YOGA. 

Remember always that the Ego is master of the 
mental states and habits, and that the Will is the di- 
rect instrument of the Ego, and is always ready 
for its use. Let your soul be filled with the strong 
Desire to cultivate those mental habits that will make 
you Strong. Nature's plan is to produce Strong In- 
dividual expressions of herself, and she will be glad 
to give you her aid m becoming strong. The man 
who wishes to strengthen himself will always find 
great forces back of him to aid him in the work, for is 
he not carrying out one of Nature's pet plans, and 
one which she has been striving for throughout the 
ages. Anything that tends to make you realize and 
express your Mastery, tends to strengthen you, and 
places at your disposal Nature's aid. You may wit- 
ness this in everyday life — Nature seems to like strong 
individuals, and delights in pushing them ahead. By 
Mastery, we mean mastery over your own lower na- 
ture, as well as over outside nature, of course. The 
"I" is Master — forget it not, O student, and assert it 
constantly. Peace be with you. 



CHARACTER BUILDING. 273 



MANTRAM (OR AFFIRMATION). 



I am the Master of my Mental Habits — I control 
my Character. I Will to be Strong, and summon the 
forces of my Nature to my aid. 



THE TWELFTH LESSON. 

Sue-Conscious Influences. 

In this lesson we wish to touch upon a certain fea- 
ture of sub-conscious mentation that has been much 
dwelt upon by certain schools of western writers and 
students during the past twenty years, but which has 
also been misunderstood, and, alas, too often misused, 
by some of those who have been attracted to the sub- 
ject. We allude to what has been called the "Power 
of Thought." While this' power is very real, and like 
any other of the forces of nature may be properly used 
and applied in our every day life, still many students 
of the power of the Mind have misused it and have 
stooped to practices worthy only of the followers of 
the schools of "Black Magic." We hear on all sides of 
the use of "treatments" for selfish and often base ends, 
those following these practices seeming to be in utter 
ignorance of the occult laws brought into operation, 
and the terrible reaction inevitably falling to the lot of 
those practicing this negative form of mental influ- 
ence. We have been amazed at the prevailing igno- 
rance concerning the nature and effects of this imi- 
proper use of mental force, and at the same time, at 
the common custom of such selfish, improper uses. 
This, more particularly, when the true occultist knows 
that these things are not necessary, even to those 
who seek "Success" by mental forces. There is a true 
method of the use of mental forces, as well as an im- 

275 



276 RAJA YOGA. 

proper use, and we trust that in this lesson we may 
be able to bring the matter sharply and clearly before 
the minds of our students. 

In our first course (The Fourteen Lessons) in the 
several lessons entitled, respectively, "Thought Dyna- 
mics," "Telepathy, etc.," and "Psychic Influence," we 
have given a general idea of the effect of one mind 
upon other minds, and many other writers have 
called the attention of the Western world to 
the same facts. There has been a general awaken- 
ing of interest in this phase of the subject among the 
Western people of late years, and many and wonderful 
are the theories that have been advanced among the 
conflicting schools regarding the matter. But, not- 
withstanding the conflicting theories, there is a gen- 
eral agreement upon the fundamental facts. They 
all agree that the mental forces may be used to affect 
oneself and others, and many have started in to use 
these mental forces for their own selfish ends and 
purposes, believing that they were fully justified in 
so doing, and being unaware of the web of psychic 
causes and effects which they were weaving around 
them by their practices. 

Now, at the beginning, let us impress upon the 
minds of our students the fact that while it is un- 
doubtedly true that people who are unaware of the 
true sources of strength within them, may be, and 
often are affected by mental force exerted by others, 
it is equally true that no one can be adversely af- 
fected in this way providing he realizes the "I" within 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 277 

himself, which is the only Real part of him, and 
which is an impregnable tower of strength against 
the assaults of others. There is no cause for all of 
this fear that is being manifested by many Western 
students of thought-power, who are in constant dread 
of being "treated" adversely by other people. The 
man or woman who realizes the "I" within, may by the 
slightest exercise of the Will surround himself with 
a mental aura which will repel adverse thought-waves 
emanating from the minds of others. Nay, more than 
this — the habitual recognition of the "I," and a few 
moments' meditation upon it each day, will of itself 
erect such an aura, and will charge this aura with a 
vitality that will turn back adverse thought, and 
cause it to return to the source from which it came, 
where it will serve the good purpose of bringing to 
the mistaken mind originating it, the conviction that 
such practices are hurtful and to be avoided. 

This realization of the "I," which we brought out in 
the first few lessons of the present series, is the best 
and only real method of self-protection. This may be 
easily understood, when we remind you that the whole 
phenomena of mental influencing belongs to the "illu- 
sion" side of existence — the negative side — and that 
the Real and Positive side must of necessity be 
stronger. Nothing can affect the Real in you — and 
the nearer you get to the Real, in realization and un- 
derstanding, the stronger do you become. This is the 
whole secret. Think it over. 

But, there are comparatively few people who are 



278 RAJA YOGA. 

able to rest firmly in the "I" consciousness all the time, 
and the others demand help while they are growing. 
To such, we would say "Creep as close the Realiza- 
tion of the I, as possible, and rest your spiritual feet 
firmly upon the rock of the Real Self." If you feel 
that people, circumstances, or things are influencing 
you unduly, stand up boldly, and deny the influence. 
Say something like this, "I DENY the power or in- 
fluence of persons, circumstances, or things to ad- 
versely afifect me. I ASSERT my Reality, Power and 
Dominion over these things." These words may seem 
very simple, but when uttered with the consciousness 
of the Truth underlying them, they become as a 
mighty force. You will understand, of course, that 
there is no magic or virtue in the words themselves 
— that is, in the grouping of the letters forming the 
words, or the sounds of the words — the virtue resting 
in the idea of which the words are the expression. You 
will be surprised at the effect of this STATEMENT 
upon depressing, or adverse influences surrounding 
you. If you — you who are reading these words now 
— feel yourself subject to any adverse or depressing 
influences, will then stand up erect, throwing your 
shoulders back, raising your head, and looking boldly 
and fearlessly ahead, and repeat these words firmly, 
and with faith, you will feel the adverse influences dis- 
appearing. You will almost see the cloud falling back 
from you. Try it now, before reading further, and 
you will become conscious of a new strength and 
power. 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 279 

You are perfectly justified in thus denying adverse 
influence. You have a perfect right to drive back 
threatening or depressing thought-clouds. You have 
a perfect right to take your stand upon the Rock of 
Truth — your Real Self — ^and demand your Freedom. 
These negative thoughts of the world in general, and 
of some people in particular, belong to the dark side 
of life, and you have a right to demand freedom 
from them. You do not belong to the same side of 
life, and it is your privilege — yes, your duty — to repel 
them and bid them disappear from your horizon. You 
are a Child of Light, and it is your right and duty 
to assert your freedom. from the things of darkness 
You are merely asserting the Truth when you affirm 
your superiority and dominion over these dark forces. 
And in the measure of your Recognition and Faith, 
will be the power at your disposal. Faith and Recog- 
nition renders man a god. If we could but fully rec- 
ognize and realize just what we are, we could rise 
above this entire plane of negative, dark world of 
thought. But we have become so blinded and stupe- 
fied with the race-thought of fear and weakness, and 
so hypnotized with the suggestions of weakness that 
we hear on all sides of us, that even the best of us 
find it hard to avoid occasionally sinking back into the 
lower depths of despair and discouragement. But, 
let us remember this, brothers and sisters, that these 
periods of "back-sliding" become less frequent, and 
last a shorter time, as we proceed. Bye-and-bye we 
shall escape them altogether. 



28o RAJA YOGA. 

Some may think that we are laying too much stress 
upon the negative side of the question, but we feel 
that what we have said is timely, and much needed 
by many who read these lessons. There has been 
so much said regarding this negative, adverse power 
of thought, that it is well that all should be taught that 
it is in their power to rise above this thing — that the 
weapon for its defeat is already in their hand. 

The most advanced student may occasionally forget 
that he is superior to the adverse influence of the race- 
thought, and other clouds of thought influence that 
happen to be in his neighborhood. When we think 
of how few there are who are sending forth the posi- 
tive, hopeful, thought-waves, and how many are send- 
ing forth continually the thoughts of discouragement, 
fear, and despair, it is no wonder that at times there 
comes to us a feeling of discouragement, helplessness, 
and "what's the use." But we must be ever alert, to 
stand up and deny these things out of existence so far 
as our personal thought world is concerned. There is 
a wonderful occult truth in the last sentence. We are 
the makers, preservers, and destroyers of our personal 
thought-world. We may bring into it that which we 
desire to appear; we may keep there what we wish, 
cultivating, developing and unfolding the thought- 
forms that we desire; we may destroy that which we 
wish to keep out. The "I" is the master of its thought- 
world. Think over this great truth, O student ! By 
Desire we call into existence — ^by affirmation we pre- 
serve and encourage — by Denial we destroy. The 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 281 

Hindus in their popular religious conceptions picture 
the One Being as a Trinity, composed of Brahma, the 
Cieator; Vishnu, the Preserver, and Siva, the De- 
stroyer — not three gods, as is commonly supposed, but 
a Trinity composed of three aspects of Deity or Be- 
ing. This idea of the threefold Being is also applicable 
to the Individual — "as above so below.'' The *T'' is 
the Being of the Individual, and the thought-world is 
its manifestation. It creates, preserves, and destroys 
—as it Will. Carry this idea with you, and realize 
that your individual thought-world is your own field 
of manifestation. In it you are constantly creating — 
constantly preserving — constantly destroying. And if 
you can destroy anything in your own thought-world 
you remove it from its field of activity, so far as you 
are concerned. And if you create anything in your 
own thought-world, you bring it into active being, so 
far as you are concerned. And if you preserve any- 
thing, you keep it by you in effect and full operation 
and influence in your life. This truth belongs to the 
higher phases of the subject, for its explanation is in- 
extricably bound up in the explanation of the "Thing- 
in-Itself" — ^the Absolute and Its Manifestations. But 
even what we have said above, should give to the 
alert student sufficient notice to cause him to grasp 
the facts of the case, and to apply the principles in 
his own life. 

If one lives on the plane of the race-thought, he is 
subject to its laws, for the law of cause and effect 
is in full operation on each plane of life. But when 



282 RAJA YOGA. 

one raises himself above the race-thought, and on 
to the plane of the Recognition of the Real Self — ^The 
"I" — ^then does he extricate himself from the lower 
laws of cause and effect, and places himself on a 
higher plane of causation, in which he plays a much 
higher part. And so we are constantly reminding you 
that your tower of strength and refuge lies on the 
higher plane. But, nevei ,..cless, we must deal with 
the things and laws of the lower plane, because very 
few who read these lessons are able to rest entirely 
upon the higher plane. The great majority of them 
have done no more than to lift themselves partially 
on to the higher plane, and they are consequently 
living on both planes, partly in each, the consequence 
being that there is a struggle between the conflicting 
laws of the two planes. The present stage is one of 
the hardest on the Path of Attainment, and resembles 
the birth-pains of the physical body. But you are 
being born mto a higher plane, and the pain after be- 
coming the most acute will begin to ease, and in the 
end will disappear, and then will come peace and calm. 
When the pain becomes the most acute, then be 
cheered with the certainty that you have reached the 
crisis of your new spiritual birth, and that you will 
soon gain peace. And then you will see that the peace 
and bliss will be worth all the pain and struggle. Be 
brave, fellow followers of The Path — Deliverance is 
nigh. Soon will come the Silence that follows the 
Storm. The pain that you are experiencing — ah, well 
do we know that you are experiencing the pain — is 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 283 

not punishment, but is a necessary part ot your growth. 
All Life follows this plan — ^the pains of labor and 
birth ever precede the Deliverance. Such is Life — 
and Life is based upon Truth — and all is well with 
the world. We did not intend to speak of these things 
in this lesson, but as we write there comes to us a 
great cry for help and a word of encouragement and 
hope, from the Class which is taking this course of 
le.ssons, and we feel bound to respond as we have done. 
Peace be with you — one and all. 

And, now we will begin our consideration of the 
laws governing what we have called "Sub-conscious 
Influence." 

All students of the Occult are aware of the fact that 
men may be, and are, largely influenced by the thoughts 
of others. Not only is this the case in instances where 
thoughts are directed from the mind of one person 
to the mind of another, but also when there is no 
special direction or intention in the thought sent 
forth. The vibrations of thoughts linger in the astral 
atmosphere long after the effort that sent forth 
the thought has passed. The astral atmosphere 
is charged with the vibrations of thinkers of 
many years past, and still possesses sufficient vitality 
to affect those whose minds are ready to receive them 
at this time. And we all attract to us thought vibra- 
tions corresponding in nature with those which we 
are in the habit of entertaining. The Law of Attrac- 
tion is in full operation, and one who makes a study 
of the subject may see instances of it on all sides. 

We invite to ourselves these thought vibrations by 



284 RAJA YOGA. 

maintaining and entertaining thoughts along certain 
lines. If we cultivate a habit of thinking along the 
lines of Cheerfulness, Brightness and Optimism, we 
attract to ourselves similar thought vibrations of oth- 
ers and we will find that before long we will find all 
sorts of cheerful thoughts pouring into our minds from 
all directions. And, likewise, if we harbor thoughts of 
Gloom, Despair, Pessimism, we lay ourselves open to 
the influx of similar thoughts which have emanated 
from the minds of others. Thoughts of Anger, Hate, 
or Jealousy attract similar thoughts which serve to 
feed the flame and keep alive the fire of these low 
emotions. Thoughts of Love tend to draw to our- 
selves the loving thoughts of others which tend to 
fill us with a glow of loving emotion. 

And not only are we affected in this way by the 
thoughts of others, but what is known as "Sugges- 
tion" also plays an important part in this matter of 
sub-conscious influence. We find that the mind has a 
tendency to reproduce the emotions, moods, shades of 
thought, and feelings of other persons, as evidenced 
by their attitude, appearance, facial expression, or 
words. If we associate with persons of a gloomy tem- 
perament, we run the risk of "catching" their mental 
trouble by the law of suggestion, unless we under- 
stand this law and counteract it. In the same way 
we find that cheerfulness is contagious, and if we 
keep in the company of cheerful people we are very 
apt to take on their mental quality. The same rule 
applies to frequenting the company of unsuccessful 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 285 

or successful people, as the case may be. If we allow 
ourselves to take up the suggestions constantly emanat- 
ing from them, we will find that our minds will be- 
gin to reproduce the tones, attitudes, characteristics, 
dispositions and traits of the other persons, and be- 
fore long we will be living on the same mental plane. 
As we have repeatedly said, these things are true only 
when we allow ourselves to "take on" the impressions, 
but unless one has mastered the law of suggestion, 
and understands its principles and operations he is 
more or less apt to be affected by it. All of you 
readily recall the effect of certain persons upon oth- 
ers with whom they come in contact. One has a 
faculty of inspiring with vigor and energy those in 
whose company he happens to be. Another depresses 
those around him, and is avoided as a "human wet- 
blanket." Another will cause a feeling of uneasmess 
in those around him, by reason of his prevailing atti- 
tude of distrust, suspicion, and low cunning. Some 
carry an atmosphere of health around them, while 
others seem to be surrounded with a sickly aura of 
disease, even when their physical condition does not 
seem to indicate the lack of health. Mental states 
have a subtle way of impressing themselves upon us, 
and the student who will take the trouble to closely ob- 
serve those with whom he comes in contact will re- 
ceive a liberal education along these lines. 

There is of course a great difference in the degree 
of suggestibility among different persons. There 
are those who are almost immune, while at the other 



a86 RAJA YOGA. 

end of the line are to be found others who are so con- 
stantly and strongly impressed by the suggestions of 
others, conscious or unconscious, that they may be 
said to scarcely have any independent thought or will 
of their own. But nearly all persons are suggestible 
to a greater or lesser degree. 

It must not be supposed from what we have said 
that all suggestions are "bad," harmful, or undesir- 
able. Many suggestions are very good for us, and 
coming at the right time have aided us much. But, 
nevertheless, it is well to always let your own mind 
pass upon these suggestions, before allowing them to 
manifest in your sub-conscious mind. Let the final 
decision be your own — and not the will of another — 
although you may have considered outside suggestions 
in connection with the matter. 

Remember always that YOU are an Individual, hav- 
ing a mind and Will of your own. Rest firmly upon 
the base of your "I" consciousness, and you will find 
yourself able to manifest a wonderful strength against 
the adverse suggestions of others. Be your own Sug- 
gestor — train and influence your sub-conscious mind 
Yourself, and do not allow it to be tampered with by 
the suggestions of others. Grow the sense of Indi- 
viduality. 

There has been much written of recent years in the 
Western world regarding the effect of the Mental At- 
titude upon Success and attainment upon the material 
plane. While much of this is nothing but the wildest 
imagining, still there remains a very firm and solid 
substratum of truth underlying it all. 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 287 

It is undoubtedly true that one's prevailing mental 
attitude is constantly manifesting and objectifying 
itself in his life. Things, circumstances, people, plans, 
all seem to fit into the general ideal of the strong 
mental attitude of a man. And this from the opera- 
tion of mental law along a number of lines of action. 

In the first place, the mind when directed toward 
a certain set of objects becomes very alert to dis- 
cover things concerning those objects — to seize upon 
things, opportunities, persons, ideas, and facts tend- 
ing to promote the objects thought of. The man who 
is looking for facts to prove certain theories, inva- 
riably finds them, and is also quite likely to overlook 
facts tending to disprove his theory. The Optimist 
and the Pessimist passing along the same streets, each 
sees thousands of examples tending to fit in with his 
idea. As Kay says: "When one is engaged in seek- 
ing for a thing, if he keep the image of it clearly be- 
fore the mind, he will be very likely to find it, and 
that too, probably, where it would otherwise have 
escaped his notice. So when one is engaged in think- 
ing on a subject, thoughts of things resembling it, or 
bearing upon it, and tending to illustrate it, come up 
on every side. Truly, we may well say of the mind, 
as has been said of the eye, that 'it perceives only 
what it brings within the power of perceiving.' " John 
Burroughs has well said regarding this that "No one 
ever found the walking fern who did not have the 
walking fern in his mind. A person whose eye is 
full of Indian relics pi<?ks them up in every field he 



288 RAJA YOGA. 

walks through. They are quickly recognized be- 
cause the eye has been commissioned to find them." 
When the mind is kept firmly fixed upon some ideal 
or aim, its whole and varied powers are bent toward 
the realization and manifestation of that ideal. In 
thousands of ways the mind will operate to objectify 
the subjective mental attitude, a great proportion of 
the mental efifort being accomplished along sub-con- 
scious lines. It is of the greatest importance to one 
who wishes to succeed in any undertaking, to keep be- 
fore his mind's eye a clear mental image of that which 
he desires. He should picture the thing desired, and 
himself as securing it, until it becomes almost real. 
In this way he calls to his aid his entire mental force 
and power, along the sub-conscious lines, and, as it 
were, makes a clear path over which he may walk 
to accomplishment. Bain says regarding this: "By 
aiming at a new construction, we must clearly con- 
ceive what is aimed at. Where we have a very dis- 
tinct and intelligible model before us, we are in a fair 
way to succeed; in proportion as the ideal is dim and 
wavering, we stagger or miscarry." Maudsley says: 
"We cannot do an act voluntarily unless we know 
what we are going to do, and we cannot know ex- 
actly what we are going to do until we have taught 
ourselves to do it." Carpenter says : "The continued 
concentration of attention upon a certain idea gives 
it a domiinant power, not only over the mind, but over 
the body." Muller says: "The idea of our own 
strength gives strength to our movements. A person 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 289 

who is confident of effecting anything by muscular 
efforts will do it more easily than one not so confident 
of his own power." Tanner says : "To believe firmly 
is almost tantamount in the end to accomplishment. 
Extraordinary instances are related showing the in- 
fluence of the will over even the involuntary muscles." 
Along the same lines, many Western writers have 
added their testimony to the Yogi principle of the 
manifestation of thought into action. Kay has writ- 
ten: "A clear and accurate idea of what we wish to 
do, and how it is to be effected, is of the utmost value 
and importance in aU the affairs of life. A man's 
conduct naturally shapes itself according to the ideas 
in his mind, and nothing contributes more to success 
in life than having a high ideal and keeping it con- 
stantly in view. Where such is the case one can hardly 
fail in attaining it. Numerous unexpected circum- 
stances will be found to conspire to bring it about, and 
even what seemed at first to be hostile may be con- 
verted into means for its furtherance; while by hav- 
ing it constantly before the mind he will be ever ready 
to take advantage of any favoring circumstances that 
may present themselves." Along the same lines, Fos- 
ter has written these remarkable words : "It is won- 
derful how even the casualties of life seem to bow to 
a spirit that will not bow to them, and yield to sub- 
serve a design which they may, in their first apparent 
tendency, threaten to frustrate. When a firm, decisive 
spirit is recognized, it is curious to see how the space 
clears around a man and leaves him room and free- 



290 RAJA YOGA. 

dom," Simpson has said: "A passionate desire and 
an unwearied will can perform impossibilities, or 
what seem to be such to the cold and feeble." And 
Maudsley gives to aspiring youth a great truth, when 
he says : "Thus it is that aspirations are often prophe- 
cies, the harbingers of what a man shall be in a con- 
dition to perform." And we may conclude the para- 
graph by quoting Lytton: "Dream, O youth, dream 
manfully and nobly, and thy dreams shall be prophets." 
This principle of the power of the Mental Image 
is strongly impressed upon the mind of the chela, or 
student, by the Yogi teachers. The student is taught 
that just as the house is erected in accordance with the 
plan of the architect, so is one's life built in accord- 
ance with the prevailing Mental Image. The mind 
sub-consciously moulds itself around the prevailing 
mental image or attitude, and then proceeds to draw 
upon the cuter world for material with which to build 
in accordance with the plan. Not only is one's char- 
acter built in this way, but the circumstances and in- 
cidents of his life follow the same rule. The Yogi 
student is instructed into the mysteries of the power of 
the mind in this direction, not that he may make use of 
it to build up material success, or to realize his per- 
sonal desires — for he is taught to avoid these things — 
but he is fully instructed, nevertheless, that he may un- 
derstand the workings of the law around him. And it is 
a fact well known to close students of the occult, 
that the few who have attained extraordinarily high 
degrees of development, make use of this power in 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 291 

order to help the race. Many a world movement has 
been directed by the mind, or minds, of some of these 
advanced souls who were able to see the ideal of 
evolution ahead of the race, and by visualizing the 
same, and concentrating upon it in meditation, actually 
hastened the progress of the evolutionary wave, and 
caused to actually manifest that which they saw, and 
upon which they had meditated. 

It is true that some occultists have used similar 
plans to further their own selfish personal ends — often 
without fully realizing just what power they were 
employing — but this merely illustrates the old fact that 
the forces of Nature may be used rightly and wrongly. 
And it is all the more reason why those who are de- 
sirous of advancing the race — of assisting in the evo- 
lution of the world — should make use of this mighty 
power in their work. Success is not reprehensible, 
notwithstanding the fact that many have interpreted 
and applied the word in such a matter as to make it 
appear as if it had no other meaning or application 
other than the crude, material selfish one generally 
attributed to it, by reason of its misuse. The Western 
world is playing its part in the evolution of the race, 
and its keynote is "Accomplishment." Those who 
have advanced so high that they are able to view the 
world of men, as one sees a valley from a mountain 
peak, recognize what this strenuous Western life 
means. They see mighty forces in operation — ^mighty 
principles being worked out by those who little dream 
of the ultimate significance of that which they are do- 



292 RAJA YOGA. 

ing. Mighty things are before the Western world 
to-day — wonderful changes are going on — great things 
are in the womb of time, and the hour of birth draws 
near. The men and women in the Western world 
feel within them the mighty urge to "accomplish" 
something — to take an active part in the great drama 
of life. And they are right in giving full expression 
to this urge, and are doing well in using every legiti- 
mate means in the line of expression. And this idea 
of the Mental Attitude, or the Mental Image, is one of 
the greatest factors in this striving for Success. 

In this lesson we do not purpose giving "Success 
Talks" for our students. These lessons are intended 
to fill another field, and there are many other chan- 
nels of information along the lines named. What 
we wish to do is to point out to our students the 
meaning of all this strenuous striving of the age, in 
the Western world, and the leading principle em- 
ployed therein. The great achievements of the ma- 
terial world are being accomplished by means of the 
Power of the Mind. Men are beginning to under- 
stand that "Thought manifests itself in Action," and 
that Thought attracts to itself the things, persons and 
circumstances in harmony with itself. The Power of 
Mind is becoming manifest in hundreds of ways. 
The power of Desire, backed by Faith and Will, is 
beginning to be recognized as one of the greatest of 
known dynamic forces. The life of the race is en- 
tering into a new and strange stage of development 
and evolution, and in the years to come MIND will 



^B-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 293 

be seen, more clearly and still more clearly, to be the 
great principle underlying the world of material things 
and happenings. That "All is Mind" is more than a 
dreamy, metaphysical utterance, is being recognized 
by the leaders in the world's thought. 

As we have said, great changes are before the world 
and the race, and every year brings us nearer to the 
beginning of them. In fact, the beginning is already 
upon us. Let any thinker stop and reflect over the 
wonderful changes of the past six years — since the 
dawning of the Twentieth Century, and he will be dull 
indeed if he sees not the trend of affairs. We are en- 
tering into a new Great Cycle of the race, and the old 
is being prepared for being dropped off like an old 
worn out husk. Old conventions, ideals, customs, 
laws, ethics, and things sociological, economical, the- 
ological, philosophical, and metaphysical have been 
outgrown, and are about to be "shed" by the race. 
The great cauldron of human thought is bubbling 
away fiercely, and many things are rising to its sur- 
face. Like all great changes, the good will come only 
with much pain — all birth is with pain. The race 
feels the pain and perpetual unrest, but knows not 
what is the disease nor the remedy. Many false cases 
of diagnosis and prescription are even now noticeable, 
and will become still more in evidence as the years roll 
by. Many self-styled saviours of the race — prescrib- 
ers for the pain of the soul and mind — will arise and 
fall. But out of it all will come that for which the race 
now waits. 



294 RAJA YOGA. 

The changes that are before us are as great as the 
changes in thought and Hfe described in the late novel 
by H. G. Wells, entitled "In the Days of the Comet." 
In fact, Mr. Wells has indicated in that story some of 
the very changes that the advanced souls of the race 
have informed their students are before the race — 
the prophetic insight of the writer named seems mar- 
velous, until one realizes that even that writer is be- 
ing used as a part of the mental machinery of The 
Change itself. But the change will not come about 
by reason of the new gas caused by the brushing of 
the earth's surface by a passing comet. It will come 
from the unfolding of the race mind, the process be- 
ing now under way. Are not the signs of mental un- 
rest and discomfort becoming more and more appar- 
ent as the days go by? The pain is growing greater, 
and the race is beginning to fret and chafe, and moan. 
It knows not what it wants, but it knows that it feels 
pain and wants something to relieve that pain. The 
old things are beginning to totter and fall, and ideas 
rendered sacred by years of observance are being 
brushed aside with a startling display of irreverence. 
Under the surface of our civilization we may hear the 
straining and groaning of the ideas and principles 
that are striving to force their way out on to the plane 
of manifestation. 

Men are running hither and thither crying for a 
leader and a saviour. They are trying this thing, 
and that thing, but they find not that which they 
seek. They cry for Satisfaction, but it eludes them. 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 295 

And yet all this search and disappointment is part of 
the Great Change, and is preparing the race for That- 
which-must-Come. And yet the relief will not come 
from any Thing or Things. It will come from With- 
in. Just as when, in Wells' story, things righted them- 
selves when the vapor of the comet had cleared men's 
minds, so will Things take their new places when the 
mind of the race becomes cleared by the new unfold- 
ment that is even now under way. Men are begin- 
ning to feel each other's pains — ^they find themselves 
unsatisfied by the old rule of "every man for himself, 
and the devil take the hindmost" — it used to content 
the successful, but now it doesn't seem to be so sat- 
isfying. The man on top is becoming lonesome, and 
dissatisfied, and discontented — ^his success seems to 
appall him, in some mysterious manner. And the 
man underneath feels stirring within himself strange 
longings and desires, and dissatisfaction. And new 
frictions are arising, and new and startling ideas are 
being suddenly advanced, supported and opposed. 

And the relations between people seem to be unsat- 
isfactory. The old rules, laws, and bonds are proving 
irksome. New, strange, and wild thoughts are com- 
ing into the minds of people, which they dare not ut- 
ter to their friends — and yet these same friends are 
finding similar ideas within themselves. And some- 
how, underneath it all is to be found a certain Hon- 
esty — yes, there is where the trouble seems to come, 
the world is tiring of hypocrisy and dishonesty in all 
human relations^ and is crying aloud to be led back, 



296 RAJA YOGA. 

someway, to Truth and Honesty in Thought and Ac- 
tion. But it does not see the way out! And it will 
not see the way out, until the race-mind unfolds still 
further. And the pain of the new unfoldment is stir- 
ring the race to its depths. From the deep recesses of 
the race-mind are rising to the surface old passions, 
relics from the cave-dweller days, and all sorts of ugly 
mental relics of the past. And they will continue to 
rise and show themselves until at last the bubbling pot 
will begin to quiet down, and then will come a new 
peace, and the best will come to the surface — the es- 
sence of all the experiences of the race. 

To our students, we would say : During the struggle 
ahead of the race, play well your part, doing the best 
you can, living each day by itself, meeting each new 
phase of life with confidence and courage. Be not 
deluded by appearances, nor follow after strange 
prophets. Let the evolutionary processes work them- 
selves out, and do you fall in with the wave without 
struggling, and without overmuch striving. The Law 
is working itself out well — of that be assured. Those 
who have entered into even a partial understanding 
and recognition of the One Life underlying, will find 
that they will be as the chosen people during the 
changes that are coming to the race. They have at- 
tained that which the race is reaching toward in pain 
and travail. And the force behind the Law will carry 
them along, for they will be the leaven that is to lighten 
the great mass of the race in the new dispensation. 
Not by deed, or by action, but by Thought, will these 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 297 

people leaven the mass. The Thought is even now 
at work, and all who read these words are playing a 
part in the work, although they may know it not. If 
the race could realize this truth of the One Life un- 
derlying, to-day, the Change would occur in a mo- 
ment, but it will not come in that way. When this 
understanding gradually dawns upon the race — this 
new consciousness — then will Things take their proper 
places, and the Lion and the Lamb lie down together 
in peace. 

We have thought it well to say these things in this 
the last lesson of this course. They are needed words 
— they will serve to point out the way to those who 
are able to read. "Watch and wait for the Silence 
that will follow the Storm." 

In this series of lessons we have endeavored to give 
you a: plain, practical presentation of some of the more 
important features of "Raja Yoga." But this phase 
of the subject, as important and interesting as it is, is 
not the highest phase of the great Yoga teachings. It 
is merely the preparation of the soil of the mind for 
what comes afterward. The phase called "Gnani 
Yoga" — the Yoga of Wisdom — is the highest of all 
the various phases of Yoga, although each of the lower 
steps is important in itself. We find ourselves ap- 
proaching the phase of our work for which we have 
long wished. Those who have advised and directed 
this work have counseled us to deal with the less ad- 
vanced and simpler phases, in order to prepare the 
minds of those who might be interested, so that they 



298 RAJA YOGA. 

would be ready for the higher teachings. At times 
we have felt an impatience for the coming of the day 
when we would be able to teach the highest that has 
come to us. And now the time seems to have come. 
Following this course, we will begin a series of les- 
sons in "GNANI YOGA"— the Yoga of Wisdom— 
in which we will pass on to our students the highest 
teachings regarding the Reality and its Manifesta- 
tions — ^the One and the Many. The teachings that "All 
is Mind" will be explained in such a manner as to be 
understood by all who have followed us so far. We 
will be able to impart to you the higher truths about 
Spiritual Evolution, sometimes called "Reincarna- 
tion," as well as Spiritual Cause and Effect, often 
called "Karma." The highest truths about these im- 
portant subjects are often obscured by popular mis- 
conceptions occasioned by partial teaching. We trust 
that you — our students — will wish to follow us still 
higher — higher than we have ventured so far, and 
we assure you that there is a Truth to be seen and 
known that is as much higher than the other phases 
upon which we have touched, as those phases have 
been higher than the current beliefs of the masses of 
the race. We trust that the Powers of Knowledge 
may guide and direct us that we may be able to con- 
vey our message so that it may be accepted and un- 
derstood. We thank our students who have trav- 
eled thus far with us, and we assure them that their 
loving sympathy has ever been a help and an inspira- 
tion to us. 

Peace be with you. 



SUB-CONSCIOUS INFLUENCES. 299 



MANTRAM (OR AFFIRMATION). 



There is but One Life — One Life Underlying. This 
Life is manifesting through ME, and through every 
other shape, form, and thing. I am resting on the 
bosom of the Great Ocean of Life, and it is support- 
ing me, and will carry me safely, though the waves 
rise and fall — ^though the storms rage and the tem- 
pests roar. I am safe on the Ocean of Life, and re- 
joice as I feel the sway of its motion. Nothing can 
harm me — though changes may come and go, I am 
Safe. I am One with the All Life, and its Power, 
Knowledge, and Peace are behind, underneath, and 
within Me. O ! One Life ! express Thyself through 
me — carry me now on the crest of the wave, now deep 
down in the trough of the ocean — supported always 
by Thee — all is good to me, as I feel Thy life moving 
in and through me. I am Alive, through thy life, and 
I open myself to thy full manifestation and inflow. 



THE HINDU-YOGI 




Science of Brea 



A Complete Manual of the Oriental Philosophy of Physical. 

Mental, Psychic, and Spiritual Development 

by the Intelligent Control of 

the Breath. 

By YOGI RAMACHARAKA 

pYNOPSIS.— Chapter I. The Hindu Yogis— Something About Their 
Teachings. Chapter II. "Breath is Life" — Teachings of the Ori- 
ent and Occident Compared. Chapter III. The Exoteric Theory 
of Breath. Chapter IV. The Esoteric Theory of Breath — Prana. 
Chapter V. The Nervous System — Yogi Teachings Coi?"-'tiing the 
Solar Plexus — The Solar Plexus a Store-House of Prana. siliapter VI. 
How to Breathe — Oriental Methods. Chapter VII. Four Methods of 
Respiration as Classified by the Yogis — The Yogi Complete Breath. 
Chapter VIII. How to Acquire the Yogi Complete Breath. Chapter EX. 
Physiological Effect of the Complete Breath. Chapter X. Yogi Lore — 
The Yogi Cleansing Breath — The Yogi Nerve Vitalizing Breath — The 
Yogi Vocal Breath. Chapter XI. Seven Yogi Developing Exercises, 
'"'h.apter XIII. Vibration and Yogi Rhythmic Breathing — How to Ascer- 
tain tne Heart Beat Unit Used by the Yogis as the Basis of Rhythmic 
Breathing. Chapter XIV. Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing — 
Directions for Yogi Psychic Breathing — Prana Distributing — Inhibiting 
Pain— Self-Healing— Healing Others— Distant Healing. Chapter XV. 
More Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing — Thought Projection — 
Forming an Aura — Recharging Yourself — Recharging Others — Charging 
Water — Acquiring Mental Qualities — Controlling the Emotions — Trans* 
mutation of Reproductive Energy — Brain Stimulating — The Grand Yogi 
Psychic Breath. Chapter XVI. Yogi Spiritual Breathing — Soul Con- 
sciousness — How Unfolded — The Universal Consciousness — How the Yogi 
Attain This Consciousness — General Directions. 



75 PAQES, 3x7 IINCHES 

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OR 
T^IE YOGI PHILOSOPHY OF 



WITH NUMEROUS EXERCISES, ETC. 



By yogi RAMACHARAKA 

Author of '^Science of Breath" "Yogi Philosophy and Oriented 
Occultism," Etc. 



A Complete Manual of the Great Oriental Yogi System of Physical Well- 
Being — Health — Strength — and Vigor. It Preaches a Sane, Normal, 
Simple Theofy of Physical Health, and tells how to put the theory 
into practice. It teaches that the Body is the Temple of 
the Soul, and should be kept clean and in good order. Its 
keynote is the healthy Man and Woman. Its pur- 
pose, the instruction of mankind [to conform to 
the standard of that healthy man or woman. 



Well Printed— Large Clear Type— Good Paper— Stitched 
Back Binding— Silk Cloth Cover— Nearly 250 Pages 



PRICE ONE DOLLAR 



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MASOMC TEMPLE, CHICAGO, 111. 



THE SCIENCE OF 

PSYCHIC HEALING 

By YOGI RAMACHARAKA 

Author of "Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and 

Oriental Occultism," "Advanced Course in Yogi 

Philosophy," etc.; "Hatha Yoga," "Raja 

Yoga," "Science of Breath, "etc., etc. 

A plain, practical series of lessons on Mental, Psychic 
and Spiritual Healing, in its many phases and 
forms, with full instructions and directions 
regarding treatment, etc., very little 
theory, but much, practi- 
cal instruction. 





LIST OF CHAPTERS 


I. 


The Purpose of the Book. 


II. 


Natural Laws of the Body. 


III. 


The Instinctive Mind. 


IV. 


Mind in Cells. 


V. 


Three Forms of Psychic Healing, 


VI. 


The Principle of Pranic Healing. 


VII. 


The Practice of Pn iuic Healing. 


VIII. 


Pranic Breathing. 


IX. 


Pranic Treatments, 


X. 


Auto-Pranic Treatments. 


XI. 


Thought-Force Healing. 


XII. 


Suggestive Healing. 


XIII. 


Practice of Suggestive Healing. 


XIV. 


Suggestive Treatments. 


XV. 


Self -Suggestion, 


XVI. 


Mental Healing. 


XVII. 


Mental Healing Methods. 


XVIII. 


Metaphysical Healing. 


XIX. 


Spiritual Healing. 


XX. 


Practice of Spiritual Healing. 


XXI. 


Concluding Advice. 



Handsomely Bound in Cloth — Heavy Paper — New, 
Clear, Large Type. 

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